Because of a spike in COVID-19 cases in Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott rolled back some of the planned reopening of businesses with an executive order issued Friday morning.
The governor ordered that bars close by noon Friday, except for take-out service, and that restaurants limit capacity to 50 percent beginning Monday, June 29, a reduction from the 75 percent capacity level that had been reached under plan initiated at the beginning of the month to reopen the state.
Also closed are rafting and tubing businesses, while retail stores, offices, amusement parks, sporting events, water parks and swimming pools are restricted to 50 percent capacity.
Public gatherings are scaled back to no more than 100 people, unless permission is given by a local government. The upper limit had been 500 people.
Earlier in the week, Abbott recommended, but did not mandate, that people wear protective masks in public, and that they practice frequent hand washing and maintain social distancing. Governors in 15 states have mandated that protective masks must be worn in public.
The governor also reinstated a ban on elective surgeries in Dallas, Harris, Bexar and Travis counties in order to make hospital beds available for treatment of COVID-19 patients. Virus hospitalizations in Texas rose to 4,739 Thursday and 5,996 new infections were reported.
By Joe Reavis • [email protected]
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