"There remain a lot of people in the state of Texas who think that the spread of COVID-19 is really not a challenge," said the governor during a TV broadcast Tuesday.

Noting that the coronavirus is "serious" and is spreading across the entire state, Abbott urged people to stay at home unless they have a good reason to venture out.

"There's never a reason for you to have to leave your home unless you do need to go out," he said. "The safest place for you is your home."

Texas has seen rapid growth of COVID-19 cases since early June. On Monday, Abbott said the pandemic is spreading "at an unacceptable rate" in Texas, announcing that the infection rates have increased from 4.5 percent in May to 9 percent.

According to the Texas Health and Human Services, as of Tuesday, there have been 120,370 confirmed COVID-19 cases reported in the state, with 2,220 fatalities.