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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