Texas governor says some nonessential businesses can reopen on Friday


Texas will allow some nonessential businesses to begin reopening later this week, Gov. Greg Abbott (R) has announced.
Abbott in a news conference on Monday said he will not extend the state's current stay-at-home order, meaning it will expire on April 30. He also announced a phased reopening plan under which, beginning May 1, retail stores, restaurants, movie theaters, and malls can reopen at 25 percent capacity, although Abbott noted they aren't required to do so.
"Obviously, not all businesses can open all at once," Abbott said. "A more strategic approach is required to ensure that we don't reopen, only to have to close down again."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Abbott said, however, that barbershops, hair salons, bars, and gyms are among the businesses that won't be permitted to reopen just yet, as experts say they're "simply not safe enough to open at this particular time." The governor said his hope is that these businesses can reopen by mid-May.
This comes as numerous other states have taken steps to allow some nonessential businesses that closed amid the coronavirus pandemic to reopen, including Georgia, where barber shops and nail salons were among the businesses recently permitted to resume operations. President Trump criticized that decision by Georgia's governor after reportedly supporting it privately, saying in a news briefing last week he's "not happy" with it.
Abbott during his Monday press conference also urged Texans to "continue safe distancing practices" so that the reopening plan can expand to a second phase, and he said vulnerable populations should stay at home if possible.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
New York court tosses Trump's $500M fraud fine
Speed Read A divided appeals court threw out a hefty penalty against President Trump for fraudulently inflating his wealth
-
Trump said to seek government stake in Intel
Speed Read The president and Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan reportedly discussed the proposal at a recent meeting
-
US to take 15% cut of AI chip sales to China
Speed Read Nvidia and AMD will pay the Trump administration 15% of their revenue from selling artificial intelligence chips to China
-
NFL gets ESPN stake in deal with Disney
Speed Read The deal gives the NFL a 10% stake in Disney's ESPN sports empire and gives ESPN ownership of NFL Network
-
Samsung to make Tesla chips in $16.5B deal
Speed Read Tesla has signed a deal to get its next-generation chips from Samsung
-
FCC greenlights $8B Paramount-Skydance merger
Speed Read The Federal Communications Commission will allow Paramount to merge with the Hollywood studio Skydance
-
Tesla reports plummeting profits
Speed Read The company may soon face more problems with the expiration of federal electric vehicle tax credits
-
Dollar faces historic slump as stocks hit new high
Speed Read While stocks have recovered post-Trump tariffs, the dollar has weakened more than 10% this year