Businesses to reduce occupancy, bars closed due to rise in cases

Milam County businesses were asked to reduce occupancy rates from 75 percent to 50 percent and bars were required to close on Wednesday, Jan. 6, as COVID cases continued to rise.

Milam County Judge Steve Young on Tuesday said that effective Wednesday, Jan. 6, businesses in Milam County will be required to reduce their current occupancy rate from 75 to 50 percent. Bars will be required to close.

“Our area has become an area of high hospitalization as defined by Governor Abbott’s Executive Order 32, of Oct, 7, 2020,” Young said. “Areas with high hospitalizations means any Trauma Service Area that has had seven consecutive days in which the number of COVID-19 hospitalized patients as a percentage of total hospital capacity exceeds 15 percent, until such time as the Trauma Service Area has seven consecutive days in which the number of COVID-19 hospitalized patients as a percentage of total hospital capacity is 15 percent or less.”

On Tuesday the Trauma Service Area reached the seventh consecutive day where the number of COVID-19 patients as a percentage of the total hospital capacity exceeded 15 percent. Wednesday the area was at 21.54 percent. 

There are more than 12,500 COVID patients in Texas hospitals.  Although, we do not have a hospital in Milam County, our residents are occupying the hospitals in our district. 

In Trauma Service Area L, which includes Bell, Coryell, Hamilton, Lampasas, Milam and Mills counties, at least 232 COVID-19 patients were hospitalized Tuesday, accounting for about 29 percent of all hospitalizations and filling almost 21 percent of available beds.

This does not affect churches, schools, (public & private), child care services, government offices, youth camps, recreational sports and some other activities. 

These changes will remain in effect until the number of COVID-19 patients as a percentage of the total hospital capacity does not exceed 15 percent for seven consecutive days.