AUSTIN, Texas — Gov. Greg Abbott issued another order on June 26, closing all Texas bars once again and changing rules for some other businesses, including tubing and rafting establishments. These changes come after record-breaking rises in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations across Texas.
Here's a breakdown of what's included in Gov. Abbott's new order:
- All Texas bars closing at noon on Friday, June 26
- Texas restaurants reduced back to only allowing 50% capacity as opposed to 75% starting June 29
- Texas tubing and rafting establishments closing
- Outdoor gatherings of 100 or more people must be approved by local governments
RELATED: Bars must close at noon today, restaurants to reduce to 50%, outdoor gatherings limited: Gov. Abbott
The governor said the coronavirus positivity rate got too high, so he had to issue new changes. The positivity rate is the number of positive cases compared to the total tests completed. The governor previously said if the positivity rate went above 10%, businesses were going to have to shut down again.
"At this time, it is clear that the rise in cases is largely driven by certain types of activities, including Texans congregating in bars," Abbott said in his order. "The actions in this executive order are essential to our mission to swiftly contain this virus and protect public health. We want this to be as limited in duration as possible."
Tubing and rafting businesses were allowed to reopen back in May after getting the OK from Gov. Abbott, and some opened at the beginning of June.
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Tubing businesses KVUE talked to attempted to put safety measures in place, including social distancing, sanitizing tubes and limiting the number of people who can launch at once.
"The actions in this executive order are essential to our mission to swiftly contain this virus and protect public health," Abbott said.
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