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Urgent Updates
What’s the latest on counties where businesses can open at
only 50 percent capacity versus 75 percent capacity?
Executive order GA-32 was issued
by the governor back on October 7, 2020. A key feature of GA-32 is the
ability of most facilities (not including bars, which are subject to additional restrictions) to reopen
at 75% capacity, unless they are located in a Trauma Service Area with high
COVID-19 hospitalizations. An "area with high hospitalizations" is
defined as "any Trauma Service Area that has had seven consecutive days
in which the number of COVID- 19 hospitalized patients as a percentage of
total hospital capacity exceeds 15 percent, until such time as the Trauma
Service Area has seven consecutive days in which the number of COVID- 19
hospitalized patients as a percentage of total hospital capacity is 15
percent or less." Hospitalization data by Trauma Service Area can
be found here.
Since we last reported on this issue, and due to recent record
hospitalizations, the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS)
updated their GA-32 webpage to add many
new regions/counties including large metropolitan areas to the list of high
COVID-19 hospitalization areas - Trauma Service Area D (Abilene area); Trauma
Service Area E (Dallas/Fort Worth area); Trauma Service Area G (Longview
area); Trauma Service Area H (Lufkin area); Trauma Service Area N
(Bryan/College Station area); Trauma Service Area P (San Antonio area); and
Trauma Service Area R (Galveston area).
These seven regions joined areas A, B, I, M and T as the
twelve regions of the state where re-openings are limited to 50 percent under
GA-32. (Trauma Service Area J (Midland/Odessa area) has dropped off the
list since our last report, but rising numbers the last couple of days
suggest it could soon be back on the list).
The county judge of a county located within a
high-hospitalization Trauma Service Area may follow an attestation process
with DSHS to continue to operate at 75% capacity for certain businesses if
there have been fewer than 30 confirmed cases of COVID-19 over the previous
14 days within the county. The affected counties that have submitted an
attestation and qualified to continue operating at 75% capacity are listed on
the GA-32 webpage linked above.
Is there recent news for therapeutic treatments for nursing
home patients?
Yes. The Governor announced yesterday
that his office and the Department of State Health Services is alerting
nursing homes about the availability of monoclonal antibody therapies for
such patients. In some cases, the therapies can be delivered straight
from the federal government.
Further Updates
Can we expect an Update on New Year’s Eve?
No. Unless there’s urgent news to share, we’re giving you
a break from city-related COVID-19 news on Thursday. Look for the next
Coronavirus Update on Tuesday, January 5. Best wishes for a happy and
healthy new year.
Where can I find archived issues of the TML Coronavirus
Updates?
TML Coronavirus Updates are archived by date here and by
subject here.
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