The governor of Texas announced that the state will delay its reopening plans after a spike in coronavirus cases inundated the greater Houston metro area.
Only a month after Texas restaurants and bars were allowed to start reopening, Gov. Greg Abbott said his office will restrict outdoor patronage, effective Friday at noon, and will demand that businesses only offer takeout options for the time being.
“As we experience an increase in both positive COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, we are focused on strategies that slow the spread of this virus while also allowing Texans to continue earning a paycheck to support their families,” Abbott wrote in a statement released Thursday. “The last thing we want to do as a state is go backwards and close down businesses. This temporary pause will help our state corral the spread until we can safely enter the next phase of opening our state for business.”
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The announcement is an abrupt shift in tone from the Republican governor after health officials in the state recorded more than 6,000 new infections Wednesday. Texas health officials recorded a seven-day average positivity rate of over 10%, the highest such figure in the state since mid-April.
During an appearance on CNN’s New Day on Friday, Austin Mayor Steve Adler said temporarily pausing the state economy was not enough to slow the spread of the disease.
“Pausing will not [make] things better,” Adler said. “The trajectory that we’re on right now has our hospitals being overwhelmed — probably about mid-July.”
Texas restaurants will experience a reduction in capacity from 75% to 50% with the hope of slowing the spread of the coronavirus.
