Texas becomes the first state to reimpose a lockdown as COVID-19 cases surge

A Houston bartender.
(Image credit: MARK FELIX/AFP /AFP via Getty Images)

On Friday, Texas became the first state to reimpose a lockdown as it faces what Gov. Greg Abbott described as a "massive outbreak" of COVID-19 cases following its attempted reopening, The Hill reports.

Abbott's executive order will close bars that had previously been allowed to operate at 50 percent capacity, beginning at noon on Friday (bars may remain open for delivery and takeout). Restaurants are also being scaled back from being allowed to operate at 75 percent capacity for dine-in service to 50 percent capacity, beginning Monday. Outdoor gatherings of over 100 people are once more banned (the number had recently been raised to 500), and river-rafting trips and tubing have also been halted.

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.