ABBOTT: RETAIL STORES, RESTAURANTS, MALLS, MOVIE THEATERS CAN REOPEN FRIDAY WITH LIMITED CAPACITY

  

Governor Greg Abbott has announced he will let his previous stay-at-home order expire Thursday, along with new plans to reopen businesses starting this week.

Abbott at a press conference this (Monday) afternoon announced the first phase of his plans to lift restrictions on businesses.  Starting Friday, all retail stores, restaurants, movie theaters, malls, libraries, and museums can reopen at 25 percent occupancy.  Counties with five or fewer confirmed cases will be allowed to reopen those facilities at 50 percent capacity.

Abbott said this will allow businesses to open in a way that uses safe standards for them, their employees, and their customers.  He noted that businesses are not required to reopen, and can remain closed if they choose to.  He said businesses that do not abide by the occupancy instructions are subject to lose their business license.

Also included in the order are churches and places of worship, which Abbott said can hold expanded services starting Friday.  Outdoor sports can also resume, provided they do not involve more than four participants at any given time.  In addition, licensed health care professionals will be allowed to reopen their businesses, but licensed hospitals will need to keep 15 percent of their capacity reserved for COVID-19 patients.

Businesses not included in Abbott’s order are barber shops, hair salons, bars, clubs, and gyms.  He said he hopes that those businesses can reopen by mid-May.

Abbott said the most important element of this first phase is protecting those most vulnerable, so the state will continue to emphasize remaining at home if at all possible.  He said citizens will still be strongly encouraged—but not required—to wear masks.  He said the state will also redouble its efforts to protect seniors in nursing homes and senior living centers.

If the spread of the virus is contained, Abbott said the state will move around May 18^th to phase two, which will expand the occupancy limit to 50 percent.  He said further increases will happen as long as the virus remains contained and there is no “flare-up”.

Abbott also announced that Texas has the third most recovered COVID-19 cases of any state in the nation, saying confirmed cases have been “on the decline” for the past 17 days and the state’s hospitalization rate has held steady.  He added the number of recoveries in Texas will soon exceed the number of active cases.

Click here to view a state-published guide on Abbott's order.