Health officials in Texas said they have asked the federal government for five mortuary trucks, as Covid cases, hospitalizations and deaths continue to rise in the state. Texas officials said they requested the trucks from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or Fema, as a “precaution”, given rapid and widespread Covid-19 transmission. “We haven’t gotten any local requests but we want to be ready with the Covid cases in the state,” Chris Van Deusen, a spokesperson for the Texas health department, told NBC News. Even so, the Republican governor of Texas, Greg Abbott, has been locked in a high-profile legal battle to block mask mandates. Covid cases have increased nationally since a low point in June, according to the CDC.

Source: The Guardian August 17, 2021 18:05 UTC