Rising COVID-19 Hospitalizations Expected to Trigger
Capacity Limit Rollbacks under Governor’s Orders
(Hays County Press Release)
Hays County Courthouse, San Marcos, TX – New restrictions are set to take effect in Hays County as soon as Monday (1-11-21) following seven consecutive days of rising COVID-19 hospitalizations. As outlined in Governor Abbott’s Executive Orders GA-31and GA-32, bars must close, elective surgeries may need to be rescheduled, and many businesses must reduce their occupancy to 50 percent. 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐬 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐬 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐉𝐚𝐧. 𝟏𝟏, 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐚.
𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈𝐬 𝐄𝐱𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐎𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐆𝐀-𝟑𝟐?
Governor Abbott’s Executive Order GA-32, which went into effect on October 14, 2020, states that when a Texas Trauma Service Area (TSA) has a high hospitalization rate, any business establishment that was operating at 75 percent occupancy limit must rollback to a 50 percent occupancy limit.
Hays County is in TSA Region O, which also includes Bastrop, Blanco, Burnet, Caldwell, Fayette, Hays, Lee, Llano, San Saba, Travis, and Williamson counties. Region O has experienced a steady increase in people hospitalized due to the COVID-19 virus.
“A high hospitalization rate is defined in the Order as seven consecutive days in which the number of COVID-19 hospitalized patients as a percentage of the total hospital capacity exceeds 15 percent,” said Hays County Health Department Director Tammy Crumley.
Region O’s hospitalization rate surpassed 15 percent on Sunday, January 3, 2021, and has increased since then. A rollback has not yet been mandated but is anticipated due to the increase in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. Hays County will further notify residents if the Texas Department of State Health Services issues a determination letter stating the region has become an area of high hospitalizations.
