By Sarah R. Champagne and Reese Oxner, Texas Tribune
Texans under the age of 30 are testing positively for the new coronavirus at a higher rate, leading to a recent spike in the number of cases in the state, Gov. Greg Abbott said during a press conference addressing hospital capacity on Tuesday.
“There are certain counties where a majority of the people who are tested positive in that county are under the age of 30, and this typically results from people going to the bar type settings,” Abbott said during the conference. “That is the case in Lubbock County, Bexar County, Cameron County.”
Abbott said that it’s hard to tell where those people contracted the virus, but it could be from a Memorial Day setting, bars, some other type of social gathering.
Abbott also referenced the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission’s recent warning to bars and restaurants that serve alcohol, that if they did not follow COVID-19 guidelines, their license would be suspended for 30 or 60 days.
“There have been pictures that I have seen and others have seen about these bar type settings where clearly the standards are not being followed,” Abbott said. “Enforcements from the TABC should bring these types of settings more and align to being safer standards.”
Over the past couple weeks Texas has seen its hospitalization and case numbers surge, as the state has moved forward with its plans to reopen businesses. On Tuesday, Abbott noted that the state still has ample hospital capacity.
