Certain businesses in most of Texas will be able to expand their operations starting Monday, thanks to an improvement in the state’s COVID-19 metrics. But there is one notable exception: Bars must stay closed.
Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday announced a slew of executive orders loosening restrictions on hospitals, long-term care facilities and certain business sectors. This is the state’s first major step toward reopening since June, when a drastic uptick in coronavirus cases forced Abbott to hit the brakes.
The number of new cases and hospitalizations has declined significantly since July, Abbott said, adding that the state reported its lowest number of hospitalizations in three months on Wednesday. It averaged 3,396 new cases and 112 deaths per day in the past week.
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