Kerr County businesses cleared to operate at 75%

Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly announced Monday that Kerr County businesses have now been cleared to operate at 75% capacity. Kelly said, “We have received word that our local COVID-19 case numbers have come down significantly – so much so, that our county’s businesses can take another, tentative step closer to getting back on track and moving forward in the recovery phase of this pandemic.”

The clearance to ramp up local operations is stated in Governor Abbott’s executive order, GA-32, which was issued on October 7, 2020. Under the current criteria laid out in the order, the Texas Dept. of State Health Services TSA no longer meets the definition of a “high hospitalization” area, meaning businesses may reopen to higher levels of capacity.

According to DSHS Commissioner Dr. John Hellerstedt, the decrease in COVID-19 numbers means Kerr County qualifies for the move to 75% occupancy in local businesses, along with 21 other counties in DSHS TSAP, including: Atascosa, Bandera, Bexar, Comal, Dimmit, Edwards, Frio, Gillespie, Gonzales, Guadalupe, Karnes, Kendall, Kinney, LaSalle, Maverick, Medina, Real, Uvalde, Val Verde, Wilson and Zavala.

Along with the clearance for more operations, all licensed hospitals in the same TSA region may resume elective surgeries.

Kelly added that this is a very positive development for the county, but all of us need to continue practicing safety measures, including wearing masks and getting vaccines when they become available.