(Reuters) – Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Friday ordered the closure of all bars that get 51 percent of their gross receipts from alcohol, except for take-out, and the curbing of other business activity due to surging cases of the novel coronavirus in the state.
“As I said from the start, if the positivity rate rose above 10%, the State of Texas would take further action to mitigate the spread of COVID-19,” Abbott said in a press release, explaining an executive order. “At this time, it is clear that the rise in cases is largely driven by certain types of activities, including Texans congregating in bars.”
(reporting by Jonathan Allen in New York and Nathan Layne in Wilton, Connecticut; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
