Dr. John Hellerstedt, commissioner of the state Department of State Health Services, also said he didn’t have a direct conversation with Abbott prior to the announcement, though he did say he spoke with the governor’s team. The one expert on the team who did speak with Abbott was Dr. John Zerwas, an executive vice chancellor for health affairs at the University of Texas System and a former Republican state representative. But he advised Abbott that if he did rescind those restrictions, Abbott, “in the same breath,” should “continue to emphasize the importance of the public health measures that have allowed us to continue to really kind of get past this pandemic.”