Governor Abbott announces that county judges can reopen bars

Wednesday afternoon, Texas Governor Greg Abbott sent out an obscure tweet. The tweet told his followers to watch his Facebook page. It appeared Governor Abbott would be making an announcement shortly on the social media platform. 

"It sure would be good to watch my Facebook page about an hour from now," Abbott tweeted from his personal Twitter account.

Shortly after, Governor Abbott posted a video on his Facebook page in which he said, beginning October 14th, county judges can opt their county into these openings provided they assist in enforcing health protocols.

Checklists for both bars and bar patrons have also been added to Governor Abbott's Strike Force to Open Texas page on his website.

The first checklist is the minimum recommended health protocols for all bars or similar establishments in Texas. The second checklist is the minimum recommended health protocols for bar patrons.

Abbott's obscure tweet came two days after a tweet where he hinted bars might reopen soon in Texas. In that tweet, Abbott posted a gif of two beer mugs clinking that said "cheers" on it.

“Texans have continued to keep COVID under control. The hospitalizations, number of new positive cases, and positivity rate remain contained. Today was one of the lowest fatalities in a long time. I will be announcing more openings soon.”

SIGN UP FOR FOX 7 AUSTIN EMAIL ALERTS

Restaurants and retail have been allowed to operate at 75 percent capacity for several weeks in the state. But bars remain closed, after reopening briefly in late May before a summer spike in cases.

DOWNLOAD THE FOX 7 AUSTIN NEWS APP

CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST INFO ON THE CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK