News Flash

This afternoon, Governor Abbott issued three Executive Orders to begin the process of reopening the state of Texas while revising hospital capacity and previous social distancing guidelines.  Within the orders, select activities and services that pose minimal to no threat of spreading COVID-19 are allowed to reopen using a "Retail-To-Go" model, certain restrictions on surgeries have been loosened, and schools will remain closed for the remainder of the 2019-2020 academic year.

For counties across the state of Texas, in order to achieve the goals and guidelines established by President Trump and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to reduce the spread of COVID-19, the Governor’s Executive Order renews and supersedes any conflicting orders issued by local officials.

Governor Abbott’s Executive Order GA-15: Hospital Capacity and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for COVID-19

All licensed health care professionals and all licensed health care facilities must continue to postpone all surgeries and procedures that are not medically necessary to diagnose or correct a serious medical condition of, or to preserve the life of, a patient who without timely performance of the surgery or procedure would be at risk for serious adverse medical consequences or death as determined by a patient’s physician.

Exceptions:

• Any procedure that, if performed in accordance with the commonly accepted standard of clinical practice, would not deplete the hospital capacity or the personal protective equipment needed to cope with the COVID-19 disaster; or
• Any surgery or procedure performed in a licensed health care facility that has certified in writing to the Texas Health and Human Services Commission both: 

1.  that it will reserve at least 25% of its hospital capacity for treatment of COVID-19 patients, accounting for the range of clinical severity of COVID-l9 patients; and 
2.  that it will not request any personal protective equipment from any public source, whether federal, state, or local, for the duration of the COVID 19 disaster.

The Governor today also directed state parks to reopen on Monday, April 20 with strict guidelines to reduce transmission of COVID-19 – including requiring visitors to wear face coverings, maintain a six-foot distance from individuals outside of their party, and prohibiting the gathering of groups larger than five.

This order will begin at 11:59pm on April 21, and expire at 11:59pm on May 8, unless it is modified, amended, rescinded, or superseded by the governor.

For the full order please visit

https://gov.texas.gov/uploads/files/press/EO-GA-15_hospital_capacity_COVID-19_TRANS_04-17-2020.pdf

Governor Abbott’s Executive Order GA-16: Safe, Strategic Reopening of Select Services and Activities in Texas

What services are reopened? retail services that are not “essential services,” but that may be provided through pickup, delivery by mail, or delivery to the customer’s doorstep in strict compliance with the terms required by DSHS. The DSHS requirements may be found at www.dshs.texas.gov/coronavirus.

For more information on Retail-To-Go, please see the provided guidelines from the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) at

https://co.ellis.tx.us/DocumentCenter/View/11122/2020-4-17_ReOpenedRetailGuidance

Schools — including public, private, and higher education institutions — will remain closed for the 2019-2020 school year. Teachers may go into the classroom for video instruction, to perform administrative duties, and to clean out their classrooms.

This executive order does not prohibit people from accessing essential or reopened services or engaging in essential daily activities, such as going to the grocery store or gas station, providing or obtaining other essential or reopened services, visiting parks, hunting or fishing, or engaging in physical activity like jogging or bicycling, so long as the necessary precautions are maintained to reduce the transmission of COVIB- 19 and to minimize in-person contact with people who are not in the same household.

This executive order shall begin at 12:01am on April 24 , unless it is modified, amended, rescinded, or superseded by the governor.

For the full order please visit

https://gov.texas.gov/uploads/files/press/EO-GA-16_Opening_Texas_COVID-19_FINAL_04-17-2020.pdf

Governor Abbott’s Executive Order GA-17: Governor Has Established A Strike Force to
Open Texas

The Governor’s Strike Force to Open Texas, hereafter referred to as the Strike Force, is hereby created to advise the governor on safely and strategically restarting and revitalizing all aspects of the Lone Star State—work, school, entertainment, and culture. The Strike Force will represent a collaboration among medical professionals and public and private leaders, and shall have as its principal charges the following advisory duties, as well as any other advisory tasks assigned by the governor.

For the full order please visit

https://gov.texas.gov/uploads/files/press/EO-GA-17_Open_Texas_Strike_Force_COVID-19_IMAGE_04-17-2020.pdf