Stay-at-home order ends April 30

Gov. Greg Abbott announced Monday that his stay-at-home executive order will expire on Apr. 30 and will not be renewed. Additionally, Abbott detailed the criteria for reopening several Texas businesses to begin on May 1st. This after implementing the “retail to-go” approach to getting businesses operating again which took effect last Friday and allows businesses to take orders and either deliver them to customers’ homes or have customers pick up their order curbside, so long as they don’t enter the store.

Abbott said the next step is to safely open up as many businesses as possible and that it is not possible to reopen everything all at once in order to prevent a stronger second wave of COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus.

The reopening will commence in phases with Phase I scheduled to begin May 1. Abbott said if the virus remained contained, Phase II would begin by May 18.

Phase I emphasizes protecting vulnerable populations and urges them to stay at home. Before Phase II begins, Abbott said there must be two weeks of data showing the virus is continuing to be contained.

All retail stores, restaurants, theaters, and malls will be able to reopen on May 1 but are required to maintain no more than 25% occupancy. Museums and libraries may reopen as well to no more than 25% occupancy, but interactive features will be restricted.

All licensed physicians can return to work with limited restrictions.

Outdoor sports are allowed but only if there are no more than four participants who are maintaining social distancing.

Businesses within counties that have five or fewer cases of COVID-19 can increase occupancy to 50%. If an outbreak occurs in these counties, restrictions could be imposed.

Abbott said he hopes to open businesses like gyms, bars, and salons by mid-May.

Abbott detailed three phases for the state’s COVID-19 tracing. Phase one, which has already been completed, mobilized 1,157 state and local contact tracers. Phase two, starting on April 27, will add 1,000 contact tracers and phase three, starting May 11, aims to build a team of 4,000 contact tracers.

These contact tracers test those who may be affected, help isolate those who test positive, and contact those who have been in contact with those people, effectively boxing in the virus, according to Abbott.

Atlanta Mayor Travis Ransom issued his response to the Governor’s announcement.

“Texas is a big state with communities that vary widely in their density and communicable disease risk. I’m glad Governor Abbott has taken a logical, phased approach in his decision-making process that relies on performance measures and provides metrics to follow. In short, it’s not a cookie-cutter approach because one size does not fit all. It also allows for flexibility if incidences of COVID-19 increase following Phase I.

For retail businesses that feel they can safely socially distance and open back up, the Governor has directed they keep their capacity limited to 25%. We will be opening our Atlanta Public Library back up on Friday with that limit in mind and will continue to implement risk mitigation strategies to preserve the health of our staff and the public we serve.

If we continue to see a decline in COVID-19 cases, I expect Phase II in the coming weeks. Ultimately, we can work towards getting our economy back up and running full speed ahead with the safety of the public in mind.

We know significantly more now than we did just over a month ago when we began this journey. We still need to take precautions to protect those most vulnerable among us. I caution your readers not to fully relax your risk mitigation strategies. Limit your exposure, continue to wash your hands, wear masks when you have to be in a confined building space, and limit your activities to those which are necessary. If you have a preexisting condition or your immune system is more at risk, I urge you to stay at home. This is far from over but I’m glad that we’re finding ways to gradually, methodically, open up our economy to restore the livelihood of our small business owners and the families that rely on them.”

Cass County Judge Becky Wilbanks issued this response to the Governor’s announcement.

“As Governor Abbott has said, “his decisions are based on doctors and data.” No matter which direction he might go, there will always be some who disagree. It is vitally important that Texas reopen for business however, not at the cost of people’s lives. His 3-phased approach, while may not open Texas as quickly as I would hope, is based on proven strategies with safety first and foremost, the guiding factor. It is incumbent upon all of us to continue to practice the CDC guidelines by practicing social distancing, washing our hands frequently and for 20 seconds each time, and sanitize frequently used surfaces. If so inclined, people can wear masks for further protection. As we protect ourselves, we protect others.”

Cass County currently has 15 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with eight recoveries.