Some bars in Bell Central Texas could reopen next week if the County Judge opts into Governor Abbott’s executive order. After Governor Abbott issued an executive order to Tuesday, many bars in Central Texas like Tank’s Pub and Grill are hoping to open their doors again next week.
“We will go by the guidelines and stuff. All the bars, please don’t blow this moment because if it does happen again we might not recover," said Tank's Pub & Grill Owner Cruz Ochoa.
However, the executive order comes with some conditions. First, the county judge needs to sign off.
We reached out to Bell County Judge David Blackburn and he said he’s talking to the Texas alcoholic beverage commission, state agencies and others to get a better understanding before moving forward.
Another condition: a county’s hospitalization rate for COVID-19 patients must be lower than 15%.
“We have been seeing those downward trend. We’re hoping that wearing your mask and washing your hands is becoming more of an everyday practice," said AdventHealth Central Texas Public Relations and Marketing Manager Erin Riley.
According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, Bell County has around 815 hospitalizations in the area. Riley said they haven’t seen any major spikes in hospitalizations over the past few months.
“Over the past several months our COVID numbers have been coming down. However we’re seeing a steady trickle of patients in our hospital due to COVID-19," said Riley.
Judge Blackburn said they’re also working with the state, city and county officials to find ways to enforce the guidelines for the executive order. McLennan County has 419 hospitalizations, Judge Scott Felton said he’s working with city, county and state officials to come up with a decision soon, as well.
Judge Blackburn says that he’s expecting to make the announcement about his decision during the commissioner's court meeting on Tuesday.
