Nursing Home Visitation Expanded, Bars Still Closed: Abbott’s Second Effort to ‘Reopen’ Texas

Even with lowering hospitalization rates, there has been no indication from Abbott on when his mask mandate will be lifted.
By Brandon Waltens
|September 17, 2020

One hundred eighty-eight days since declaring the Chinese coronavirus a statewide emergency, Gov. Greg Abbott announced additional steps to reopen Texas from the mandates and restrictions he unilaterally imposed in response to the Chinese coronavirus earlier this year.

If this sounds familiar, it should, as this is the second such “reopening” effort made by Abbott since his original phased plan sputtered earlier this summer.

There are differences, however. Whereas the first round of reopenings revolved largely around the total number of cases of the virus as well as the positivity rate (how many people test positive out of the total amount tested), this iteration of reopenings focuses largely on the hospitalization rate (the number of coronavirus patients as it relates to total hospitalizations in a given area).

Dividing the state into 22 regions called Trauma Service Areas, Abbott announced that any region whose hospitalization rate over seven days is below 15 percent will be allowed to engage in more reopenings. Currently, this applies to 19 of the state’s 22 regions.-- excerpt, rest at link above --

We heard from our pastor that the new rules for the nursing homes is limited to them being allowed to preregister two family members that can visit.... pastors and other clergy are still banned from visiting....