Texas to let bars in most counties reopen on Friday, as cases surge in Amarillo and El Paso

Bars will be able to reopen in Texas on Friday at 25 percent capacity, Gov. Greg Abbott (R) announced on Monday, while restaurants will be able to increase their capacity to 50 percent.

Zoos, rodeos, aquariums, bowling alleys, bingo halls, and skating rinks will also be able to reopen on Friday, Abbott said. Gyms were given the green light to reopen on Monday at 25 percent capacity with showers and locker rooms closed to patrons. Texas allowed restaurants to reopen on May 1 at 25 percent capacity and barbershops and hair salons on May 8.

On Saturday, Texas saw its largest single-day increase in confirmed cases since the coronavirus pandemic began, with the Texas Department of Health reporting more than 1,800 new cases. On Monday, 900 new coronavirus cases were reported in the state, along with 11 deaths.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

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.

Sign up

Amarillo is one of the state's hot spots, with COVID-19 spreading among workers at meatpacking facilities in the area; more than 2,400 coronavirus test results are still pending there, Amarillo Public Health said. North of Amarillo in Moore County, one in every 39 people there has tested positive for COVID-19. Abbott on Saturday said the numbers are rising due to increased testing, and Texas will "continue to see these results in targeted areas over the next two weeks."

Another hot spot is El Paso, where Abbott said the hospital capacity is "too close for comfort." He is delaying the reopening of El Paso and Amarillo by one week.