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AUSTIN — Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday blasted Austin officials for imposing what he called overly restrictive COVID-19 testing and social distancing requirements on sponsors of Thursday’s Veterans Day parade in the capital city, and offered as a substitute to host a rally for them.
The privately sponsored event was canceled after organizers said they couldn’t verify that an expected 30,000 participants and attendees each would meet the standards.
The Republican governor, who has made bashing the Democratic-led city a hallmark of his administration, said requiring proof of a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours of entering an outdoor event in downtown Austin was too “stringent.”
He offered to host a veterans’ rally on the south steps of the state Capitol, though parade organizers said late Tuesday they’d made a prior commitment that precludes doing so.
“We are committed to ensurng that the traditions of Veterans Day are kept alive in the capital city,” Abbott said in a written statement.
Although Abbott’s move appealed to patriotism and kept the heat on a favorite target, it came eight days after Austin officials were pleased that their city was ranked by WalletHub as the No. 2 best place for veterans among the nation’s 100 largest cities, as measured by “20 key indicators of livability, affordability and veteran-friendliness.”
A spokesman for Austin Mayor Steve Adler declined to comment.
In a written statement, the Austin Center for Events, which sets the permitting requirements for special events, said it “proactively” reached out over the summer to the Veterans Day parade organizers.
“On Sept. 28, the organizers notified ACE that they decided to cancel the event citing the health requirements for an event with 30,000 attendees. At this time, Austin was in Stage 4 of the Risk Based Guidelines and the region had 25 ICU beds left to serve millions of Central Texans.” Austin’s now in a lower risk category, Stage 3.
The center, which includes representatives of various city health, public safety and cultural departments, said it meets with Austin Public Health at least monthly to consider revising the standards.
The latest version, dated Oct. 20, says that for outdoor events expected to draw a crowd exceeding 2,500 people, organizers must screen all attendees and make sure they provide proof of a negative test within the past three days and develop strategies for attendees to maintain at least six feet of social distancing.
Center spokeswoman Sara Henry said it accepts event organizers’ screening plans that require proof of COVID-19 vaccination “but we don’t require that.” Abbott has banned local governments from requiring anyone to get a COVID-19 shot.
On its website, the Austin Veterans Parade Foundation, which sponsors the annual parade, said it couldn’t meet the city’s requirements.