City of College Station

Rising COVID-19 Hospitalizations Reduce Occupancy Limits

Posted on 12/28/2020

On Dec. 28, Brazos County Judge Duane Peters received notification from the Texas Department of Health and Human Services (DSHS) that Trauma Service Area N (in which Brazos County is located) has surpassed the limit set forth by Gov. Abbott in Executive Order GA-32.

New restrictions are now in effect for Brazos County due to COVID-19 hospitalizations exceeding 15% for seven consecutive days.

• BARS - Any establishment which has more than 51% of gross receipts from the sale of alcohol must close to in-person dining. Drive-through, pickup and delivery options for food and drinks are allowed to the extent provided by the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission. 
   
• OTHER BUSINESSES - Any establishment that otherwise would have a 75% occupancy limit must operate at up to only 50%. Visit open.texas.gov for the complete list.
   
• SURGERIES - Elective surgeries, as defined in Executive Order GA-31, must be rescheduled unless they “would not deplete any hospital capacity needed to cope with the COVID-19 disaster.”

Restrictions will be eased when TSAs reach seven consecutive days in which the number of COVID-19 hospitalized patients as a percentage of total hospital capacity is below 15%.

While the Governor and TABC both offer an appeal process for this reduction of capacity, Brazos County does not qualify. Per the DSHS, to qualify for this exemption, Brazos County must have fewer than 30 total cases of COVID-19 reported over the last 14 days.

Visit cstx.gov/covid19 for the latest information.