Restaurants can open at 75% occupancy starting June 12, 2020

LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) - Effective June 12, 2020 restaurants may operate for dine-in service up to 75% of the total listed occupancy inside the restaurant. This applies only to restaurants that have less than 51% of their gross sales from alcoholic beverages. Restaurants may continue to provide to-go or delivery services.

All businesses and customers should continue to follow minimum standard health protocols laid out by the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS).

According to Governor Greg Abbott, as with previous phases, the Phase III plan is based on the advice and support of the four doctors on the Strike Force to Open Texas medical team.

"The people of Texas continue to prove that we can safely and responsibly open our state for business while containing COVID-19 and keeping our state safe,” said Governor Abbott in a June 3, 2020 news release. “As anticipated, the new positive cases that we are seeing are largely the result of isolated hot spots in nursing homes, jails, and meat packing plants. Thanks to the effectiveness of our Surge Response Teams, we have the ability to contain those hot spots while opening up Texas for business. As we begin Phase III, I ask all Texans and Texas businesses to continue following the standard health protocols and to heed the guidance of our state and federal officials who continue to closely monitor COVID-19. If we remain vigilant, we will continue to mitigate the spread of this virus, protect public health, and get more Texans back to work and their daily activities.”

Effective June 19:

Amusement parks and carnivals in counties with more than 1,000 confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 may open at 50% capacity. Since Lubbock County’s positive COVID-19 numbers are below 1,000, Joyland Amusement Park was allowed to open on June 5, 2020. Park owners chose to open on June 12, 2020 to prepare the park with the new safety measures.

Additional Openings:

Special provisions have been made for outdoor gatherings, such as Fourth of July celebrations, but it is imperative that local officials and public health officials collaborate on safe standards. These provisions are included in the Governor's Executive Order and are also available on the Open Texas webpage.

Further Protocols:

All businesses should continue to follow the minimum standard health protocols from DSHS. For details and a full list of guidelines, openings, and relevant dates, visit http://open.texas.gov.

Reminders for those going out:

• Individuals are encouraged to wear appropriate face coverings.
• People should not be in groups greater than ten when possible.
• People over the age of 65 are encouraged to stay at home as much as possible.
• People are still asked to avoid nursing homes, state supported living centers, assisted living facilities, or long-term care facilities.

View the Governor’s Executive Order.

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