Texas Gov. Greg Abbott visited the Rio Grande Valley on Tuesday to announce the McAllen Convention Center is officially open as a temporary health care facility.

The convention center is now an option for local hospitals to transfer COVID-19 patients as they recover from the virus. The move was designed to help increase hospital capacity in the Valley after the most recent surge in coronavirus cases.

Abbott was joined Tuesday afternoon by McAllen Mayor Jim Darling, Hidalgo County Judge Richard F. Cortez, state Sen. Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa and State Division of Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd.

The governor mentioned the facility currently has about 50 beds that are operational, but it could expand to up to 250 beds.

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