Abbott issues order limiting outdoor gatherings. Not in my county, Texas judge says
Hours after Gov. Greg Abbott issued an executive order to help slow the surging coronavirus pandemic in Texas, one North Texas county is not adhering to part of the mandate.
Collin County Judge Chris Hill is allowing residents to gather outside in groups larger than 10 by his own executive order.
There have been 3,199 COVID-19 cases, including 45 deaths, confirmed in Collin County, including 86 new cases Thursday.
Abbott’s order, which went into effect at noon Friday, requires Texans to wear face coverings in public spaces in counties with 20 or more COVID-19 cases.
Abbott, however, also issued a proclamation giving mayors and county judges the ability to impose restrictions on outdoor gatherings of more than 10 people. The governor made it mandatory, with some exceptions, that residents can’t be in groups larger than 10 and must keep 6 feet of social distancing.
But Abbott also explicitly allows for local officials to permit outside groups of 10 or more in the same proclamation.
Abbott’s proclamation says outside gatherings of 10 or more “is prohibited unless the mayor of the city in which the gathering is held, or the county judge in the case of a gathering in an unincorporated area, approves of the gathering, and such approval can be made subject to certain conditions or restrictions not inconsistent with this executive order.”
Hill, it seems, is making it clear that the group-limiting order is not mandatory in Collin County.
Failure to wear a face covering is punishable up to a $250 fine, according to Abbott’s order.
Estimated active cases over time
Coronavirus daily active case estimates by local counties in the Dallas - Fort Worth metroplex, beginning April 8, 2020. Data provided by Texas Health and Human Services.
This story was originally published July 2, 2020 at 9:40 PM.
