Along with several other states across the United States, Texas too was gearing up to gradually reopen businesses, but Governor Greg Abbott decided to put a lid on the state's reopening plans citing an increasing number of hospitalizations and COVID-19 cases. Aside from that, the governor halted elective surgeries in the state's largest counties.
Slated to go into effect at 11:59 p.m on June 26, the surgery order pauses all elective surgeries and procedures that aren't medically necessary in Dallas, Harris, Bexar, and Travis. Abbott released a statement describing the order as a precautionary step to ensure that hospitals in the aforesaid counties continue to have the required number of beds to treat those infected with the novel coronavirus.
This move comes after Texas witnesses an alarming increase in hospitalization due to COVID-19, USA Today reported. Roughly one hour after releasing the statement, Abbott said the state will temporarily discontinue its reopening phases, declining to ease previous orders that enabled businesses to expand their occupancy levels.
The new restrictions are a result of Abbot facing escalated pressure to reverse the reopening phase citing statewide hospitalizations and COVID-19 cases rising sharply. The governor also needs to handle pressure from his own party to ensure that the state remains open for business.
This week, Abbot has made multiple live appearances on local TV broadcasts, taking a U-turn from his earlier statement about coexisting with the virus to a more forcible message of staying home. It is imperative for the state to make sure it doesn't reach a stage where it needs to close down businesses again, he said.
The governor explained that the temporary pause will enable the state to restrict the spread until they can enter the next phase of reopening businesses without jeopardizing people's safety. On June 24, 5,551 new cases were recorded across the state, marking an increase from 5,489 cases on June 23, which are record highs for both days.
Earlier this week, Texas surpassed hospitalizations record for the thirteenth day in a row, with health officials claiming 4,389 patients were hospitalized in Texas hospitals. As part of Abbott’s Phase 3 plan of reopening the Texas economy, restaurants were allowed to increase occupancy levels to 75 percent and other businesses moving to 50 percent occupancy.
Abbott’s new announcement does not affect these capacity numbers. Phase 3 also enabled amusement parks and carnivals in different counties having over 1,000 cases to reopen at half-capacity from June 19. Other services including child care services, houses of worship, local government operations, recreational sports, and youth camps have no capacity limits.