Coronavirus: Statewide Restrictions To Be Lifted In Texas This Week, Businesses To Reopen

Currently, the U.S. is the epicenter of COVID-19 pandemic with more than 1 million infected and 56,803 dead. But the outbreak is slowing down in many states across the nation, like in Texas where more than 25,292 people were infected and close to 700 people died.

In 17 days, a decline in the upward streak of the virus has been observed, motivating the state government to take the decision of easing restrictions this week.

State governor Greg Abbott has announced that they will be lifting the most strict coronavirus restrictions this week, followed by some of the businesses reopening but with ample safety precautions in place. This means that the last announced extension of the lockdown till April 30 will be observed.

“Because of your efforts, the COVID-19 infection rate has been on the decline for the past 17 days,” the governor said at a recent news briefing. “Because of your efforts, and especially the work of our doctors and nurses and all our health-care providers, our hospitalization rate has held steady and our hospital capacity has remained above it.”

Businesses will reopen in phases beginning from May 1, so will restaurants, retail stores, movie theaters but with a limited capacity of 25%. All the reopenings will be carried out with utmost caution, all the while employing federal guidelines. The same rule will be applied to museums and libraries, which will again open from May 1 but with 25% capacity.

“We will open in a way that uses safe standards,” he said. “Standards based upon data and doctors.”

All state-licensed health-care professionals will also open, in line with the needed precaution and as for child care facilities and summer camps, they will be opened as soon as possible.

The government will also begin its efforts of slowly easing down the unemployment scale which has only increased since the outbreak began

“Our goal is to get those Texans back to work,” the governor added. He also assured that they are not merely reopening things and sitting quietly to “hope for the best” but the government will also be assessing the two weeks of data after easing restrictions “to confirm no flare-up of COVID-19.”