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Governor Abbott Implements Face Covering Requirement To Slow The Spread Of COVID-19
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued an executive order Thursday requiring all Texans to wear masks "over the nose and mouth" in public spaces. It applies to counties with at least 20 confirmed COVID-19 cases and reverses the governor's previous policies.
<p>"If Texans commit to wearing face coverings in public spaces and follow the best health and safety practices, we can both slow the spread of COVID-19 and keep Texas open for business," Abbott said in a statement. </p><p>Repeat offenders, after receiving a verbal or written warning for violating the mask requirement, may be fined up to $250. Local law enforcement and other local officials "can and should enforce" the mandate, according to <a href="https://open.texas.gov/uploads/files/organization/opentexas/EO-GA-29-use-of-face-coverings-during-COVID-19-IMAGE-07-02-2020.pdf" target="_blank">the order</a>. </p><p>The governor also granted mayors and county judges the ability to prohibit outdoor gatherings of more than 10 people.</p><p>Texas reportedly <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/coronavirus-us-cases.html" target="_blank">ranks sixth among states </a>with the most rapid increase in cases per capita. Travis County surpassed 10,000 cases yesterday and<a href="https://austonia.com/july-4-austin-covid" target="_blank"> is preparing the Austin Convention Center </a>as a field hospital in case area hospitals are overwhelmed.</p>
Exceptions
<p>The governor's order provides some exceptions to the mask mandate, including:</p><ul><li>People who are under 10 years old or have a medical condition or disability that prevents them from wearing a mask.</li><li>While eating, exercising outside, swimming, voting or driving alone or with a member of the same household.</li></ul><div>See a full list of the exceptions <a href="https://open.texas.gov/uploads/files/organization/opentexas/EO-GA-29-use-of-face-coverings-during-COVID-19-IMAGE-07-02-2020.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>A reversal
<p>This order represents a reversal for Abbott, who previously refused local jurisdictions the right to mandate masks and limit gatherings despite repeated pleas that he do so.</p><p>Earlier this week, Travis County Judge Sam Biscoe <a href="https://austonia.com/Coronavirus/austin-surge-" target="_self">sent Abbott a letter</a> asking the state to enforce mandatory masking, prohibit social gatherings of more than 10 people, roll back business occupancy and allow local officials to issue stay-home orders as needed.</p><p>"In summary, the rapid increase in cases has outstripped our ability to track, measure and mitigate the spread of disease," he wrote.</p><p>Austin Mayor Steve Adler, along with the mayors of eight other large Texas cities, also sent Abbott a letter, <a href="https://austonia.com/Coronavirus/texas-face-masks" target="_self">on June 16</a>, asking for the authority to impose a mask requirement.</p><p>The next day, Abbott allowed local jurisdictions to require businesses to mandate masks among employees and customers.</p><p><em>This story is developing and has been updated.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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(1000Photography/Shutterstock)
Google told employees this week that the company will hold off on reopening its offices until Sept. 7, according to a memo obtained by Bloomberg News.
<p>The company employs more than 1,000 people in Austin and took steps last year to expand its office space both downtown and on the East Side. <a href="https://www.statesman.com/news/20190614/google-says-it-plans-significant-expansion-in-austin" target="_blank">As of last June</a>, Austin was Google's seventh-largest office outside of the San Francisco Bay Area.</p><p>The decision came as both Texas and California, the state where most of the tech giant's employees work, have seen spikes in coronavirus cases. Texas saw nearly 7,000 new cases Tuesday.</p><p>"While conditions do vary from state to state, we need to see that the U.S. outlook as a whole is stable before we move forward," Chris Rackow, vice president of global security, wrote in the memo. "As the recent resurgence of cases demonstrates, Covid-19 is still very much alive in our communities."</p><p>Previously, the company's CEO Sundar Pichai <a href="https://www.blog.google/inside-google/working-google/working-from-home-and-office/" target="_blank">told employees in May</a> that the company would begin slowly returning some workers to the office on July 6. Those plans now appear to be scrapped based on the company memo.</p><p>Google's parent company, Alphabet, sent employees home during the second week of March, weeks ahead of some of the other big tech companies. Indeed, another tech giant with offices in Austin, sent its employees home barely a week earlier, one of the first companies in Austin to do so.</p><p>Even without the recent spikes in coronavirus cases in the U.S., the company planned for most Google employees to work from home through the end of the year. The work from home extension this week also comes on the heels of a host of other tech companies announcing that they would allow some employees to <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/22/tech/work-from-home-companies/index.html" target="_blank">work from home "forever" if their job allows.</a></p>
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(Ismael Quintanilla III/Shutterstock.com)
Austin City Limits announced Wednesday that it will cancel its 2020 event, the Austin City Limits Music Festival, set to take place in October, as it does every year.
<p>"We would have loved to put on another memorable show this year, however, with the uncertainty surrounding the current situation in Texas, this decision is the only responsible solution," a statement on the website reads.</p><div class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="56dbce0b3fdbd1d22430ca60970146b1" id="fe763"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1278342782545997824"><div style="margin:1em 0">https://t.co/ARFzJoepTt</div> — ACL Festival (@ACL Festival)<a href="https://twitter.com/aclfestival/statuses/1278342782545997824">1593615644.0</a></blockquote></div><p>Festival organizers vowed to return next year to celebrate its 20th anniversary.</p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"We will return to Zilker Park on October 1-3 and October 8-10, 2021 to celebrate our 20th Anniversary. We encourage fans who have already purchased tickets to hold on to them to lock in access to next year's festival at 2019 prices. Refunds will be made available for fans who purchased directly through the festival and cannot attend next year's dates. All current ticket holders will receive an email from Front Gate Tickets shortly with information on both options."</p><p><em><span></span>This story is developing and will be updated.</em></p>
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Not implementing immediate policy changes could mean a five-week shutdown to keep from overwhelming hospitals, UT modeling shows.
Without significant behavior and policy changes, Austin-area hospitals will reach capacity in mid-July, according to updated projections by the COVID-19 Modeling Consortium at the University of Texas at Austin.
<p>"Right now it seems like we should be doing everything we can—short of a stay-home order—to stop transmission," <a href="https://austonia.com/Coronavirus/austin-covid-record-high" target="_blank">Dr. Lauren Ancel Meyers</a> told Austin City Council members on Monday. "We're at that point." </p><p><strong>An evolving guide </strong></p><p>Austin Public Health issued a color-coded, five-stage guide to policy recommendations <a href="https://austonia.com/Coronavirus/austin-color-coded-risk-chart" target="_blank">in mid-May</a>. The thresholds between stages are based on the rolling average of new daily hospital admissions for COVID patients. The recommendations ranged from limiting social gatherings to returning to "Stay Home-Work Safe" conditions.</p><p><br/></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="6db279717614617472a73fa64f131bfe" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="5d3d5" type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzQyNjMwOS9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1MDYxMjEzNn0.wrvCTTrbz7FkpJ7aqxp1V0AXHfoGgUWZYE4XSBd1pfQ/img.png?width=980"/>
<small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">(Austin Public Health)</small></p><p><br/></p><p>This week, APH updated its thresholds to account for adjusted hospital capacity and average hospital stay, which is currently about nine days. "By changing the threshold triggers, the community is able to remain in Stage 4 for a longer period of time before crossing into Stage 5," APH said in a statement. </p><p>The new stage thresholds are as follows: </p><p><br/></p>
<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="cefedb81b6ebcd24a13b64614ffe4365" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="d244d" type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzQyNjMzNC9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzNjg4NzE3Nn0.M9wXoojzMDocZ9oktVT55Z2R_GCuGRKo_jg_mF33T9Y/img.png?width=980"/>
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption..." spellcheck="false">The updated guidelines increase the threshold for Stage 2 from a rolling average of 5 new daily COVID-related hospital admissions to 10, Stage 3 from 19 to 39 and Stage 4 from 20 to 40.</small></p><div class="u_fNK" data-grammarly-part="highlights" style="position: absolute; top: 0px; left: 0px;"><div style="box-sizing: content-box; top: 361.078px; left: 0px; width: 461.719px; height: 63.9844px; position: relative; pointer-events: none; overflow: hidden; border: 0px; border-radius: 0px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><div style="position: absolute; top: 0px; left: 0px;"><div style="height: 807px; width: 1681px;"><div></div><div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="u_fNK" data-grammarly-part="button" style="position: absolute; top: 0px; left: 0px;"><div style="box-sizing: content-box; top: 361.078px; left: 0px; width: 461.719px; height: 63.9844px; position: relative; pointer-events: none; overflow: hidden; border: 0px; border-radius: 0px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><div style="position: absolute; transform: translate(-100%, -100%); top: 58.9844px; left: 457.719px; width: auto; height: auto; pointer-events: all;"><div style="flex-direction: row; display: flex; pointer-events: auto;"><div style="position: relative;"></div><div data-grammarly-part="gbutton"></div></div></div></div></div>
<p><br/></p><div class="u_fNK" data-grammarly-part="highlights" style="position: absolute; top: 0px; left: 0px;"><div style="box-sizing: content-box; top: 228.211px; left: 0px; width: 461.719px; height: 63.9844px; position: relative; pointer-events: none; overflow: hidden; border: 0px; border-radius: 0px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><div style="position: absolute; top: 0px; left: 0px;"><div style="height: 808px; width: 1825px;"><div></div><div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="u_fNK" data-grammarly-part="button" style="position: absolute; top: 0px; left: 0px;"><div style="box-sizing: content-box; top: 228.211px; left: 0px; width: 461.719px; height: 63.9844px; position: relative; pointer-events: none; overflow: hidden; border: 0px; border-radius: 0px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><div style="position: absolute; transform: translate(-100%, -100%); top: 58.9844px; left: 457.719px; width: auto; height: auto; pointer-events: all;"><div style="flex-direction: row; display: flex; pointer-events: auto;"><div style="position: relative;"></div><div data-grammarly-part="gbutton"><div class="_5WizN _1QzSN"><div class="_3YmQx"><div class="_3QdKe" title="Protected by Grammarly"> </div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="u_fNK" data-grammarly-part="highlights" style="position: absolute; top: 0px; left: 0px;"><div style="box-sizing: content-box; top: 228.211px; left: 0px; width: 461.719px; height: 63.9844px; position: relative; pointer-events: none; overflow: hidden; border: 0px; border-radius: 0px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><div style="position: absolute; top: 0px; left: 0px;"><div style="height: 768px; width: 1778px;"><div><div class="_3F-Wk _3mEyK" data-grammarly-part="highlightUnderline" style="top: 40.9922px; left: 99px; width: 24px; height: 16.5px;"></div></div><div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="u_fNK" data-grammarly-part="button" style="position: absolute; top: 0px; left: 0px;"><div style="box-sizing: content-box; top: 228.211px; left: 0px; width: 461.719px; height: 63.9844px; position: relative; pointer-events: none; overflow: hidden; border: 0px; border-radius: 0px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><div style="position: absolute; transform: translate(-100%, -100%); top: 58.9844px; left: 457.719px; width: auto; height: auto; pointer-events: all;"><div style="flex-direction: row; display: flex; pointer-events: auto;"><div style="position: relative;"><div class="_2okjE _1-uTj" data-grammarly-part="emogenieEmojiBtn">"</div></div><div data-grammarly-part="gbutton"><div class="_5WizN _1y8ub _34Jb6 _1QzSN"><div class="_3YmQx"><div class="_3QdKe" title="Found 1 error in text">1</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><p><strong>New modeling</strong> </p><p>While local officials are unable to implement policies that interfere with state orders, Dr. Meyers presented a series of scenarios that project how different policy interventions might play out. </p><p>"It's very hard to project what COVID is going to do beyond a couple weeks because we cannot predict behavior, and we cannot predict policy," she said. </p><p>The scenarios project with 95% certainty that area hospitals will not exceed capacity—a total of 1,500 COVID-19 patients—if certain measures are taken. While the interventions vary, each scenario is expected to result in 2,100 total deaths between now and the end of 2021. The difference between them is the duration, timing and extent of the shutdown.</p><p><strong>1. In the first scenario, Austin officials would implement the policy changes recommended at Stage 4 of APH's risk-based guide, which Dr. Meyers helped develop.</strong></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image image-crop-2x1">
<img class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="d72335e44d5d867177bd4ee816a43d4c" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="17983" type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzQyNDk5MS9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxOTg1MTE4OH0.nw7Y6HzPxrdyYOoB9u1W8EWMWyYzxvrp7wvXaVGM7xI/img.png?width=1200&coordinates=88%2C53%2C58%2C68&height=600"/>
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Dr. Meyers presented this scenario, which presumes partial measures are taken now to contain the current surge.</small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">(COVID-19 Modeling Consortium at the University of Texas at Austin) </small></p><p><br/></p><p>If people comply—wearing masks, limiting social gatherings and minimizing unnecessary trips outside of their homes—the projections suggest that hospitals will not exceed capacity, Stage 5 will never be reached and by December the curve will begin to flatten.</p><p>If such precautions are not taken and adhered to, Austin will escalate to Stage 5, at which point partial measures will not be enough and a second stay-home order is recommended.</p><p><strong>2. In this second scenario, Austin would likely see a series of stay-home orders issued between now and early next year to avoid exceeding hospital capacity.</strong></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image image-crop-2x1">
<img class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="9cf3678b4ed87de407fd9ca2c802064f" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="281a5" type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzQyNDk5Mi9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTU5NTgwMDM4OH0.qyB7CK_AKk9221kqnXmUV0hnN74bQ65TWEg4jfz8eNA/img.png?width=1200&coordinates=7%2C87%2C31%2C84&height=600"/>
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">In the second scenario, the current surge forces a second shutdown order—and then a series of additional shutdowns—to avoid overwhelming local hospital capacity.</small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">(COVID-19 Modeling Consortium at the University of Texas at Austin) </small></p><p><br/></p><p>"That's pretty bleak," Dr. Meyers said. "It's several months of periodic stay home."</p><p><strong>3. In the third scenario, Dr. Meyers and her team modeled what would happen if local officials don't implement policy changes immediately, but in mid-July issue a five-week stay-home order in an attempt to slow transmission of COVID-19.</strong></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image image-crop-2x1">
<img class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="6b94d0c779ad6a2788ebc90211314ee8" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="5a142" type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzQyNDk5NC9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0MTUzMTA0NH0.IRpkInPs-49I4jJ6ziv5QNKdQnUTSj-8QuVnd0lw2JA/img.png?width=1200&coordinates=69%2C57%2C41%2C56&height=600"/>
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">The final scenarios projects the outcome if a five-week shutdown is implemented now, which would prompt a three-month period in Stage 4. </small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">(COVID-19 Modeling Consortium at the University of Texas at Austin) </small></p><p><br/></p><p>Following the five-week period, the projection is that Austin would enter Stage 4 for three months, during which time schools would reopen.</p><p>"The only scenario I think that would be really, really impossible to have any schooling would be if we're in [Stage 5]," Dr. Meyers said, adding that at Stage 4 there would still need to be some "pretty extreme" measures in place to ensure transmission isn't escalating. </p>
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Austin closes Barton Springs and Deep Eddy, will shut down all city parks for July 4 weekend
30 June
(staff/Austonia)
The city of Austin announced it would close both Barton Springs and Deep Eddy temporarily as of Tuesday and that all city parks will shut down from July 3 to July 5 to help slow the spread of COVID-19.
<div id="c7af0" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="c0c72e9e9aff37aa6e5ce61fc40ae187"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1277744847827410944" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">All City of Austin parks and park facilities will be closed over the July 4th weekend. Additionally, Barton Springs… https://t.co/BieAxoA5Mg</div> — Austin Parks & Rec (@Austin Parks & Rec)<a href="https://twitter.com/AustinCityParks/statuses/1277744847827410944">1593473085.0</a></blockquote></div><p>Chlorinated pools will remain open for the time being, the parks department said.</p><p>The closures include the Ann and Roy Butler Hike and Bike Trail around Lady Bird Lake.</p><p>The announcement follows warnings yesterday from <a href="https://austonia.com/Coronavirus/austin-surge-" target="_blank">public health officials that they are "on the verge"</a> of recommending another shutdown due to <a href="https://austonia.com/Coronavirus/austin-covid-cases-2646287891" target="_blank">a surge in coronavirus cases </a>and hospitalizations.</p>
<div id="4a0b9" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="ce365a9ee08b589eac3e60d5ff610ed4"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1277670496130289665" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Travis County Parks will close all parks in its system starting Thur, July 2, 2020 at 8 p.m. and re-open on Tue, Ju… https://t.co/T0JUeKbTDO</div> — Travis County Parks (@Travis County Parks)<a href="https://twitter.com/TCParks/statuses/1277670496130289665">1593455358.0</a></blockquote></div><p>Travis County announced Monday that its parks will close between Thursday and Tuesday for the same reason.</p>
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(Travel with me/Shutterstock)
The University of Texas at Austin released a plan for the fall semester that includes online, hybrid and in-person courses and mandatory masks, among other measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
<p>"Today's plan provides a framework for the fall that is designed to accommodate the dynamic environment we're facing and enable us to adapt to changes in the prevalence of COVID-19 in Austin and throughout Texas," Interim President Jay Hartzell said in the statement. "And I know that things are changing every day."</p><p><a href="https://president.utexas.edu/messages-speeches-2020/fall-2020-reopening-plans" target="_blank"><u>The plans for the semester</u></a>, which will start August 26, include the following:</p><ul class="ee-ul"><li>Classes will be online, in-person, or a hybrid, but they will all have the same tuition rates. </li><li>Students may take the full semester online. </li><li>In-person courses will end November 25, before Thanksgiving. After that, students will mostly stay off-campus and take finals online from December 7 to 16. </li><li>Classes will take place from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. with a 40% cap on capacity in each classroom. </li><li>Many hybrid and in-person courses will be streamed or recorded for students who become ill or need to self-isolate to continue their course progress. </li></ul><p>The plan was released shortly after a meeting of the UT System Board of Regents concluded. Speaking during the meeting, Chancellor James Milliken emphasized the importance of students continuing their education instead of taking time off. </p><p>"We know from student surveys that if we do not open, many students will choose to pause their education, and we know from research that pausing has an impact on persistence and graduation," Milliken said. "The most vulnerable students, low-income, first-generation and underrepresented students, will be at the greatest risk of falling off the path to success."</p><p>UT Austin's reopening plan also included stipulations for health and wellness pertaining to university buildings and residence halls. Masks will be required at all times when in campus buildings, except when alone in a private office, alone in a dorm room with a roommate, eating and drinking in dining facilities, and in other cases approved under the American's with Disabilities Act or for religious reasons. </p><p>The university is still developing plans for hosting football games and other athletic events in the fall in accordance with state, local and Big 12 Conference guidelines. </p>
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The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission issued a notice over the weekend that the governor had expanded alcohol laws and would allow bars to sell mixed drinks in takeout orders, with some exceptions.
<p>The new rules <a href="https://austonia.com/Coronavirus/abbott-closes-bars-shuts-down-tubing-reduces-restaurant-capacity-as-covid-19-cases-surge" target="_blank">follow a second shutdown of bars</a>—part of an executive order that also reduced restaurant capacity to 50%.</p><p>"The COVID-19 crisis has significantly impacted the alcoholic beverage industry, requiring new methods of operation to prevent the spread of the virus," the notice says. "As such, Governor Abbott has waived certain laws so businesses can adapt to new operating conditions."</p><p>Establishments can sell mixed drinks to go when:</p><ul class="ee-ul"><li>Alcohol is accompanied by a food order prepared on the premises</li><li>The container is sealed with tape and placed in a bag sealed with a zip tie</li><li>The beverage is not transported in the passenger area of a motor vehicle </li></ul><p>The guidelines specify that the beverages can be transported in the glove compartment, the trunk or behind the last upright seat of the car. </p><p><a href="https://www.tabc.texas.gov/coronavirus/files/PickupAndDeliveryOfAlcoholWithFoodOrders.pdf" target="_blank">See the full guidelines here.</a></p>
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Texas is reinstating a series of COVID-related safety measures for child care centers that were repealed earlier this month, the Texas Tribune reports:
<p style="margin-left: 20px;">"The newest emergency rules, <a href="https://hhs.texas.gov/sites/default/files/documents/doing-business-with-hhs/provider-portal/protective-services/ccl/new-emergency-rules-day-care-operations-covid-19.pdf" target="_blank">published Thursday</a>, include requiring child care centers to check temperatures of staff and students each day, have parents drop students off outside and not serve family style meals. State health officials said the immediate adoption of the rules was necessary to prevent 'imminent peril to the public health, safety, and welfare of the state.'"</p><p>The change comes as the governor issued an executive order <a href="https://austonia.com/Coronavirus/coronavirus-austin" target="_blank">closing bars and reducing restaurant capacity</a> in the face of record-high new cases and hospitalizations.</p>
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