Gov. Abbott Unable to Provide Timeline on Reopening Texas Bars
It sounds like it may be a while before Texas bars and wineries are able to reopen.
Establishments across the state have been closed since Governor Abbott abruptly ordered bars to close at noon on June 26 and many are having to reinvent themselves to stay in business.
According to KRLD, Governor Abbott didn’t offer a timeline when asked about bars reopening in the state:
If we were able to get to a positivity rate of well below 10% and maintain that positivity rate and we were able to get to a situation where we were back in the May timeframe of low hospitalizations because of COVID-19 and sustain those rates for a prolonged period of time and if all operators of bars and restaurants and establishments were to follow the safety protocols that were put into place when from the very beginning that required patrons of bars to not stand up, not walk around, not converse without masks, not go to the bar itself but to remain seated at a table in small gatherings and be in a situation where they were avoiding transmitting COVID-19, that could lead to the reopening of those bars.
Recently, around 800 Texas bars reopened in protest of the governor’s order. However, doing so runs the risk of an establishment having their liquor license suspended.