Texas bars to reopen October 14 pending approval of county judges, Abbott says

The bar reopening plan is notable because it defers to local authorities – something Abbott has not done during the pandemic.

DALLAS - Bars in Texas will be allowed to reopen on a county by county basis, pending approval of their respective county judge.

The changes were first made public in health guidelines published on the Governor’s Strike Force to Open Texas website on Wednesday afternoon.

The bar reopening plan is notable because it defers to local authorities – something Abbott has not done during the pandemic. During the early months he specifically stripped local officials of their decision making powers when it came to closures of businesses and masking rules.

Bars would be allowed to reopen on October 14 at 50 percent capacity with all patrons required to be seated, but only if they’re in a region that doesn’t have a high number of COVID- hospitalizations.

Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said in a tweet on Wednesday that he will not reopen bars at this time.

"I will listen to everyone but will follow the science," Jenkins said, citing increases in numbers of COVID-19 cases for keeping bars closed.

It came as no surprise to Dallas bar owner Eddie Campbell that Jenkins decided not to opt-in

“Clay Jenkins has already said he does not want bars to reopen. We know he’s going to continue to go against bars reopening, so really Clay Jenkins has Dallas’ best interest at heart, but the problem is we’re isolating one group, okay?’ he said.

Bars had briefly reopened at a limited capacity in time for Memorial Day weekend.

Then came the summer surge, and the governor ordered them closed down again.

“There’s not a safe way for them to be open. It’s unfortunate, but we’ve seen that,” Jenkins said.

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Denton County will reopen its bars next week.

“I applaud the governor taking this much needed step to reopen Texas," said Denton County Judge Andy Eads.

Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley said he will take a few days before making a decision on bars. He plans to speak with public health officials, the district attorney, business owners, mayors and city managers.

Collin County Judge Chris Hill said in a statement: “I am in the process of reviewing the governor’s message and will make a decision appropriate for Collin County soon.”

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Bar and nightclub owners, however, have heavily criticized Abbott for keeping the venues closed while other businesses were allowed to reopen.

The governor on Monday hinted at a potential change in the status of bars in the state in a tweet. In that tease, he praised falling hospitalizations and cases across the state.

Restaurants and retail have been allowed to operate at 75 percent capacity for several weeks in the state. But bars remained closed, after reopening briefly in late May before a summer spike in cases. Abbott said in late June, as cases reached record numbers in the state, that he regretted reopening bars Memorial Day weekend.

More than 16,000 people have died from coronavirus in Texas since the beginning of the pandemic in March.

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