Gov. Greg Abbott orders Texans to avoid groups of 10; closes bars, gyms and restaurants for dine-in

AUSTIN, Texas (KXAN) — Gov. Greg Abbott declared a disaster Thursday, taking statewide action against the spread of COVID-19.

“The traditional model that we have employed in the state of Texas for such a long time so effectively does not apply to an invisible disease that knows no geographic and no jurisdictional boundaries and threatens the lives of our fellow Americans across the entire country,” said Abbott.

During his Thursday announcement Abbott issued an executive order that took a number of steps to combat the coronavirus:

Limiting social gatherings to no more than 10 people
Prohibiting eating and drinking at restaurants and bars
Closing gyms
Ban people from visiting nursing homes except for critical care
Temporarily close schools

Abbott’s executive order goes into effect at midnight Friday.

“Working together, we must defeat COVID-19 with the only tool that we have available to us, we must strangle its expansion by reducing the ways that we are currently transmitting it,” Abbott said while announcing his executive order. “We are doing this now, today, so that we can get back to business as usual more quickly.”

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