Falls County returns to 50 percent occupancy

As of September 27, 2020, all restaurants, retail stores, office buildings, manufacturing facilities, gyms, libraries, and other places of business in Falls County are required to return to maximum 50 percent occupancy levels due to order from the Texas Department of State Health Services.

On Sept. 17, Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued Executive Order GA-30 to expand certain business occupancy levels except in areas with high hospitalizations. According to the order, “high hospitalizations” is defined as any Trauma Service Area that has had seven consecutive days in which the number of COVID-19 hospitalized patients as a percentage of all hospitalized patients exceeds 15 percent.

For the seven days prior to Sept. 27, the number of COVID-19 hospitalized patients in Trauma Service Area TSA-M, which is made up of Falls, Limestone, Bosque, Hill, and McLennan Counties, has exceeded that percentage. Elective surgeries, something not performed in Falls County under normal pretenses, are also prohibited in these counties.

On Sept. 28, there were 169 hospital beds, 11 ICU beds, and 63 ventilators available throughout TSA-M, according to the DSHS COVID-19 dashboard. 

There are currently 64 lab-confirmed COVID-19 hospitalizations spread between the five counties, with a total of 382 patients since the start of the pandemic.