Greg Abbott Has COVID

In the days to come, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott will be leading the fight against mask and vaccine mandates from home. The Republican's office confirmed Tuesday that he has tested positive for COVID-19 and will be isolating at the Governor's Mansion, CNN reports. The 63-year-old is "fully vaccinated against COVID-19, in good health, and currently experiencing no symptoms," his office said in a statement. "Texas First Lady Cecilia Abbott tested negative." On Monday night, the governor tweeted photos of himself addressing a maskless crowd at a Republican event in Collins County, reports the Texas Tribune. Hours before his diagnosis Tuesday, he tweeted photos taken with guitarist Jimmie Vaughan.

"Everyone that the governor has been in close contact with today has been notified," his office said. It said Abbott is receiving monoclonal antibody treatment. COVID case numbers in Texas have surged to their highest level in months and the state has asked the federal government for five trailers to serve as mobile morgues. Abbott has been criticized for banning schools and local officials from imposing mask mandates, the New York Times reports. On Sunday, the Texas Supreme Court sided with the Abbott administration against big-city school districts that had sought to make masks mandatory. "I hope he recovers quickly," tweeted former HUD secretary Julian Castro. "I also hope he will act more responsibly on behalf of Texas children and families." (More Greg Abbott stories.)