Texas Governor Says Restaurants — But Not Bars — Can Open on May 1 — Updated
In a mid-afternoon press conference, Texas governor Greg Abbott said that he’s allowing his stay-at-home order to expire as planned at midnight on April 30. On May 1, restaurants are allowed to resume dine-in services — but only at 25% of the stated occupancy, which is a number initially determined by the local fire marshal before a restaurant opens. The order states, “As used in executive order GA-18, this applies only to restaurants that are not required to post the 51% sign required by the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission.”
Bars, however, (as well as salons and gyms) are not allowed to open on May 1. Abbott said that, at this time, his advisors have not been able to determine a safe way for those businesses to reopen. According to Abbott, these types of businesses often have customers who are “very close to each other.”
If the number of new coronavirus cases in Texas continues to decline, bars may be allowed to reopen May 18. That is also the time when Abbott may allow restaurant occupancy to increase to 50%. There is not yet a stated timeline for when restaurants can return to normal operations.
Abbott says that a book of guidelines titled Open Texas has been produced and it is available online. The initial link provided by Abbott at the press conference is not currently working; we will update with a link as soon as it is available.
In addition, Abbott says that this is permission for restaurant owners to open, not a requirement, and they should not open if they do not feel safe to do so.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Phaedra Cook has written about Houston’s restaurant and bar scene since 2010. She was a regular contributor to My Table magazine (now closed) and was the lead restaurant critic for the Houston Press for two years, eventually being promoted to food editor. Cook founded Houston Food Finder in November 2016 and has been its editor and publisher ever since.
Why not bars? They can follow the same guidelines as a restaurant. This seems a little off to me.
Bars are allowed to reopen today at 25% occupancy. There are several state of Texas guidelines to follow, which you can read about in our article: https://houstonfoodfinder.com/bars/texas-issues-detailed-rules-for-reopening-bars/
When are bars opening again in Conroe Texas and Cleveland Texas
According to Governor Greg Abbott’s press conference at the end of April, it originally was hoped that bars could reopen on May 18, but with the coronavirus count of new cases going up instead of down, and that date being Monday, I’m expecting a delay. We’ll be on the lookout for a new press conference by the governor the beginning of the week and hopefully a new date will be set for bar openings.
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/05/12/coronavirus-cases-are-on-the-rise-in-texas-and-other-states-that-reopened-early-former-fda-chief-says.html
Just following up on your question! Bars are allowed to reopen today at 25% occupancy. There are several state of Texas guidelines to follow, which you can read about in our article: https://houstonfoodfinder.com/bars/texas-issues-detailed-rules-for-reopening-bars/