Despite the warnings of health experts around the country, Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced that hair salons and pools in Texas reopen at the end of this week, while gyms would open later this month. The announcement came a week after the state's previous reopening of restaurants, malls, beaches and other gathering places.

That reopening occurred only one day after Texas's largest daily number of virus fatalities.

Backed by President Donald Trump, Republican officials across the nation have stressed that people complying with stay-at-home orders need to get back to work, despite the highly contagious virus having killed over 70 thousand Americans.

For his part, Abbot wasn't fazed by the inevitable deaths, admitting in newly revealed audio that deaths would increase with reopening, but that it's the path to take.

Listen below.

Abbot says in the video:

"Every scientific and medical report shows that whenever you have a reopening...it actually will lead to an increase in spread. It's almost ipso facto, the more that you have people out there, the greater the possibility is for transmission."

Suddenly, it was clear where Abbot's priorities were.

People are blaming Abbot and other Republicans for any avoidable deaths at the hands of a premature reopening.

It appears Governor Abbott agrees with a statement made weeks ago by his Lieutenant Governor, Dan Patrick: "There are more important things than living."