WILLIAMSON COUNTY (Talk1370.com) -- Following Saturday's announcement that Austin-area counties were no longer under a COVID-19 surge under Gov. Greg Abbott's executive orders, the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission has approved a request from Williamson County Judge Bill Gravell to allow the county's bars to re-open.
Friday, Jan. 29 marked the seventh consecutive day with COVID-19 hospitalizations in Trauma Service Area "O" below the 15 percent threshold that triggered capacity rollbacks earlier this month. That automatically allowed restaurants and other affected businesses to return to 75 percent capacity, and for medical providers to resume elective procedures.
Under Abbott's GA-32 order, bars or similar establishments that hold a permit from the TABC, and are not restaurants according to the order, may offer on-premises services up to 50 percent of the total listed occupancy of the establishment, if the county judge makes a request to TABC to allow it.