The Texas Department of State Health Services is restricting several Brazos Valley counties from performing elective surgeries and opening businesses at 75% capacity due to high COVID-19 hospitalizations.
On Wednesday, October 7, Governor Greg Abbott issued an executive order, which allowed certain venues to reopen to 75% capacity and allowed the resumption of elective surgeries in certain counties. Counties that reside in Trauma Service Areas (TSAs) with high COVID‑19 hospitalizations are excluded from these reopenings.
According to the governor, any Trauma Service Area (TSA) that has had seven consecutive days in which the number of COVID-19 hospitalized patients as a percentage of total hospital capacity exceeds 15 percent is considered high hospitalization, meaning they must limit capacity and stop elective surgeries.
On Monday, DSHS issued a letter stating TSA N met the definition of a high hospitalization area, meaning counties in the area may not conduct elective surgeries or reopen to 75% capacity.
Counties in TSA N include:
- Brazos
- Burleson
- Grimes
- Leon
- Madison
- Robertson
- Washington
Counties in high hospitalizations can choose to operate at 75% capacity if:
- the county has fewer than 30 cases reported over the last 14 days, and
- the county judge submits an attestation to DSHS
To view current hospitalizations, click here.