Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday took his most drastic action yet to respond to the post-reopening coronavirus surge in Texas, shutting bars back down and capping restaurant capacity at 50%.
Before Abbott’s announcement Friday, bars were able to operate at 50% capacity and restaurants at 75% capacity.
Abbott’s actions Friday were his first significant moves to reverse the reopening process that he has led since late April.
Earlier in the day, Abbott sought to free up hospital space for coronavirus patients by banning elective surgeries in four of the state’s biggest counties: Bexar, Travis, Dallas and Harris.
The rate, presented by the state as a seven-day average, has gone up to 11.76% — where it was at in mid-April and above the 10% threshold that Abbott has said would cause alarm for the reopening process.
