The decisions prompted Dr. Anthony Fauci and legions of public health "experts" to warn about the devastating consequences - thousands of unnecessary deaths would result, they said - however, as the data show, practically every metric has shown that the Lone Star State's outbreak has continued to recede, even as blue states like Michigan are seeing a new surge in infections (believed to be driven by "mutant" strains).

As epidemiologists everywhere have struggled to come up with an explanation, it's worth noting that Texans are dining out more, according to Opentable seatings, which have become a closely watched proxy for post-quarantine economic activity.