Governor Greg Abbott Teases a Loosening of COVID-19 Related Restrictions in Texas
Monday afternoon (October 5th), Governor Greg Abbott took to Twitter to tease an upcoming announcement concerning restrictions in Texas.
"Texans have continued to keep COVID under control," tweeted Governor Abbott. "The hospitalizations, number of new positive cases, and positivity rate remain contained. Today was one of the lowest for fatalities in a long time. I will be announcing more openings soon. Cheers!"
Right now, bars and night clubs remain closed in Texas. Restaurants are open, but at different capacities throughout the state. Public businesses, like movie theaters, are operating at reduced capacity. Amusement parks are open in some parts of the state, and closed in others. Pro, college and high school sports stadiums are all operating under different parameters, procedures, and capacities. In addition, masks are still required in public places throughout the state.
Because the State of Texas is currently under a Disaster Declaration, Governor Abbott has the authority to unilaterally make changes.
If Abbott does allow Texas bars to re-open, other business categories like restaurants may also be allowed to increase capacity to 100 percent in some parts of the state.
Unfortunately, until Governor Abbott makes his announcement, it's all a guessing game; and it's all up to him since the legislature is frozen out of the decision-making process. The legislature doesn't meet again until January 2021.