Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced Thursday that the state’s reopening has been halted. “The State of Texas will pause any further phases to open Texas as the state responds to the recent increase in positive COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations,” reads a press release from the governor’s office.
“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 said.
Businesses that were already permitted to open under the state’s previous phases of reopening can “continue to operate at the designated occupancy levels and under the minimum standard health protocols provided by the Texas Department of State Health Services,” according to the statement.
“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,” Abbott said.
Abbot said Wednesday “there is a massive outbreak of COVID-19 across the state of Texas.”
The state now has almost twice as many people hospitalized with COVID-19 as it did on June 14, when the number was at 2,287. This spike occurred after restaurants were allowed to increase capacity to 75% and almost all businesses allowed to operate with some safety measures in place.
The governor urged all Texans “to do their part to slow the spread of COVID-19 by wearing a mask, washing their hands regularly, and socially distancing from others.”
“The more that we all follow these guidelines, the safer our state will be and the more we can open up Texas for business.”
