BARS TO RE-OPEN IN WASHINGTON COUNTY; BUSINESS CAPACITY RAISED

  

Bars in Washington County have been given the green light to reopen, and other businesses are allowed to increase their capacity.

KWHI received notice on Friday from Washington County Judge John Durrenberger that the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) has stated that bars in the county can now reopen at 50 percent capacity.  Business capacity has also been raised to 75 percent.

This comes after Trauma Service Area N, the hospital region that includes Washington County, reported a COVID-19 hospitalization rate lower than 15 percent for seven consecutive days.  Per Governor Greg Abbott’s Executive Order GA-32, if COVID-19 patients make up less than 15 percent of all hospitalized patients in the region, then occupancy limits can be raised.

The counties in the hospital region—those being Brazos, Burleson, Grimes, Leon, Madison, Robertson and Washington counties—were ordered to reduce business capacity and close bars in December due to high COVID-19 hospitalizations.