Caught between growing conservative opposition to business restrictions and Democrats pushing for a statewide shelter-in-place order, Gov. Greg Abbott opted Tuesday to continue as before — but warned that he has not ruled out a stricter response if needed.

"The best thing we can do to get the economy going is to get COVID-19 behind us," Abbott said. "We must bend the curve of the growth of coronavirus in Texas. As soon as we do that, the economy will come roaring back."

Abbott said the stay-at-home orders adopted by Travis and Williamson counties and other areas, which include the temporary closing of nonessential businesses, go much further than his executive order limiting gatherings of 10 or more.

Still, he said, the local restrictions are fairly consistent with other aspects of state efforts to limit coronavirus spread.

"Under my executive order, people should be staying at home, practicing good distancing behavior, with only essential-type services in operation," said Abbott, who issued an order Thursday barring Texans from gatherings of more than 10, while also shuttering bars, gyms, schools and restaurant dining rooms.

But noting the many vehicles on the Austin roads as he traveled to a Texas Department of Public Safety warehouse for Tuesday’s press conference, Abbott also sounded a warning.

"It is clear to me that we may not be achieving the level of compliance that is needed," he said. "We will continue to evaluate based upon all the data whether or not there needs to be a heightened standard and stricter enforcement."

Officials in Dallas, McLennan and Bell counties issued shelter-in-place orders effective midnight Monday. Similar orders took effect in Harris, Bexar, Travis, Tarrant, El Paso, Williamson, Cameron and Hunt counties at midnight Tuesday. Officials in Denton County have ordered residents to stay at home starting midnight Thursday.

In Collin County, officials ordered residents to stay at home, but they did not restrict business operations to those deemed essential, as the other counties had done.

By Thursday morning, more than 17 million Texans — 59.4% of the state’s population — will be under orders to stay at home except for necessary errands, such as going to the grocery store or pharmacy, and personal exercise.

‘Get back to living’

So far, Abbott has been reluctant to issue a statewide shelter-in-place order, noting local governments can issue their own strict standards.

Texas conservatives, however, are questioning the wisdom of the growing number of local stay-home orders, calling them an economy-killing overreaction to coronavirus fears.

Notably, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick suggested that getting the nation back to work was worth the increased health risk for some seniors.

"We are having an economic collapse," Patrick told Fox News host Tucker Carlson in a Monday night interview that made national news.

"Let’s get back to living. Let’s be smart about it, and those of us who are 70-plus, we’ll take care of ourselves, but don’t sacrifice the country. Don’t do that. Don’t ruin this great American dream," he said.

"As the president said, the mortality rate is so low, do we have to shut down the whole country for this?" Patrick said, adding that he believed "lots of grandparents out there" agreed that the health risks were outweighed by the benefit of keeping America intact for their children and grandchildren.

The backlash was immediate, with Democrats and local leaders defending shelter-in-place orders and other steps as expert-backed strategies to reduce demand for limited hospital beds and breathing machines — not just for seniors but for COVID-19 victims of every age.

Joe Straus, a moderate Republican from San Antonio and former Texas House speaker, also lashed out.

"The economic hardship this country is facing is quite real and getting worse. It’s going to impact millions. But to suggest that some segment of the population can sacrifice their health in order to save the economy is an ignorant distraction," Straus wrote on Twitter.

Also Tuesday, nearly every Texas House Democrat called on Abbott to issue a statewide stay-at-home policy, which would close all nonessential business and restrict travel.

"Health experts agree that the only way to defeat this virus is for people to stay home," said Rep. Chris Turner, D-Grand Prairie, chairman of the House Democratic Caucus.

"The sooner our state and nation take the dramatic steps necessary to stop the spread of the virus, the sooner people will be able to get back to work, a day that cannot come soon enough," Turner said, commending local stay-at-home orders as a necessary response "in the absence of uniform statewide direction."

Strict measures questioned

But with President Donald Trump pressing to get people back to work as soon as possible — "the cure cannot be worse (by far) than the problem," he wrote on Twitter — conservatives pushed back against city and county orders that are closing most businesses.

Shortly before Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, a Democrat, announced a stay-at-home order closing most businesses in her county until April 3, state Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, questioned the action.

"Rather than issue a draconian shelter-in-place, or ‘stay at home' order, why are you not asking for voluntary compliance from the public in the spirit of American liberty and Texas friendship?" Bettencourt asked Tuesday, adding that anecdotal evidence showed most Harris County residents were complying with earlier orders to avoid crowds.

Hidalgo said the extra steps were recommended by medical experts to break a trend that could put Houston on a path similar to New York City or Italy, "where we simply run out of ICU space."

Austin and Travis County officials had a similar message when they unveiled a stay-home order Tuesday.

"We cannot wait until hospitals are already overrun to make decisions and act decisively to prevent this spread," said Dr. Mark Escott, interim Austin-Travis County health authority.

Modeling done with the University of Texas concluded that more than 20,000 hospital beds would be needed by May to treat COVID-19 patients "if we put schools back in session, if we turn the businesses back on, if we allow people to go back to restaurants and bars and businesses today," Escott said.

But some conservatives, questioning the accuracy of the data used to model the viral spread, are pushing for a balance that protects businesses and respects the personal freedom of Texans to choose their level of risk.

Republican Matt Rinaldi, a former Texas House member from Irving, said governments should formulate plans that protect vulnerable Texans while keeping the economy moving.

"The economic and human costs of job losses and bankruptcies caused by this policy will exceed what most Americans can imagine," Rinaldi wrote in an opinion piece published by Empower Texans, a conservative advocacy group.

In another piece published by Empower Texans, Keith Self, former Collin County judge, wrote: "I encourage our policymakers to start to find ways to protect our most vulnerable, those who are most likely to die, NOT those who might take ill. And get everyone else back to work!"