BRAZOS COUNTY, Texas — After a week full of increased case numbers, Governor Abbott and the Brazos County Health District gave an update on COVID-19 within the state and county.
Both agree the fight against the virus is not slowing down.
During Brazos County's weekly press conference, Dr. Seth Sullivan urged that “prevention measures must be followed by everyone at work at home and in the community.”
It’s been a difficult few months for everyone, and as Texas has opened up, Brazos County is following Governor Abbott’s advice from Monday afternoon:
“We can protect Texan's lives while also restoring their livelihood.”
Like the Governor, Dr. Seth Sullivan encouraged the use of masks in public, frequent hand washing and social distancing, and the state is cracking down on social distancing at Texas businesses.
He noted, “The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission is closing overcrowded bars that are not following the open Texas guidelines. Alcohol permits can be suspended for 30 days if the establishment is not following guidelines.”
During his press conference Governor Abbott noted, “counties are closing things like river park operations that have grown too crowded.”
When it comes to treating those that do end up testing positive, Gov. Abbott said, “today, hospitals continue to have abundant capacity to treat patients with COVID-19.”
That shouldn’t make Texans too comfortable though.
“The local COVID-19 response system is strained due to the increasing number of cases," Dr. Sullivan said, 'Local healthcare providers may have increased wait times for testing, which in turn delays reporting of positive cases.”
Despite all this, plans are still in place for welcoming college students back to the county and local kids back to school .
With enough care taken by individuals and businesses, Gov. Abbott said, “together, we will keep Texas wide open for business.”