Gov Abbott Pushes Pause Button On Texas Reopening

Governor Abbott has thrown his economic reopening into reverse in the face of a spike in coronavirus cases, halting plans to ease lockdown restrictions. The order from Abbott is the clearest sign yet that Amarillo and the rest of the state may be forced to once again impose strict social distancing measures just a month after giving merchants the green light to resume operations

Today (June 25) the Governor said, “The last thing we want to do as a state is to go backward and close down businesses, this temporary pause will help our state corral the spread until we can safely enter the next phase of opening our state for business.”

Governor Abbott’s decision came a day after the three most populous states in the country had incredible spikes in reported coronavirus cases, California, Texas, and Florida. Yesterday Texas saw a reported 5,551 new COVID-19 cases alone. The Governor halted all elective surgeries in San Antonio, Dallas, Austin, and Houston. No such halt was imposed in Amarillo at this time.

Businesses that were permitted to open under the previous phases in Amarillo can continue to operate at the designated occupancy outlined by the Texas Department of State Health Services.

On Tuesday, Abbott recommended residents stay home unless they have to venture outside. He has consistently urged residents to follow social distancing guidelines and to wear a mask when in public, saying that it “will help us to keep Texas open. If we were to experience another doubling of those numbers over the next month, that would mean we’re in an urgent situation where tougher actions will be required to make sure that we do contain the spread of COVID-19.”

Thursdays COVID-19 cases in Amarillo showed a drop of 156 active cases with 23 cases reported. The update detailed 1235 active cases in the Amarillo area.  Potter county has 1008 with Randall county having 227 active cases.

The Governor ended today's briefing with a plea:

“I ask all Texans to do their part to slow the spread of COVID-19 by wearing a mask, washing their hands regularly, and socially distancing from others. The more that we all follow these guidelines, the safer our state will be and the more we can open up Texas for business."