Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued an order that requires Texans to stay home and only leave for “essential” activities or work.
The directive, called Essential Services and Activities Protocols, was issued Tuesday and is, in essence, the same mandate as a statewide stay-at-home order. Abbott said state law enforcement will have the ability to enforce the measure, which is effective April 2 until the end of the month.
The order still allows people to leave their homes to go grocery shopping, visit the bank, or get medicine from the pharmacy. Those who work in essential services are still allowed to go to work, but those who don’t are being told to stay away from other people by not going in public unless necessary.
In Texas, there have been at least 3,280 cases of the coronavirus and 50 deaths, according to the New York Times tracker. That number balloons to more than 180,000 infections and 3,727 deaths across the entire country.
