HOUSTON – Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo addressed the expiration of the state COVID-19 restrictions Wednesday afternoon.

Hidalgo turned the focus less on businesses reopening at 100% and the ending of the state’s mask mandate, and more on the number of vaccines being distributed.

“There’s a lot of focus today on 100% — on businesses being able to reopen to 100% and everybody lifting the mask mandate in the state,” Hidalgo said. “I’d like to focus on another number today, and that is 9.8%.”

The judge reported that 9.8% of people over the age of 16 have been fully vaccinated in Harris County. She said the number is now fewer than one in 10 people who are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus in the county.

“In other words, we’re a long way from sparing ourselves. The needless deaths and hospitalizations, that we can avoid if we just make it through this definition period,” Hidalgo said.

She also addressed the county’s positivity rate, saying officials are seeing hundreds of new cases being reported. The health department is reporting a positivity rate of over 12%.

“Perhaps more dangerous variants of the virus continue to spread throughout our community,” Hidalgo said.

She said the “most tragic number of all” is the 3,394 people who died in Harris County from COVID-19. She said the number of deaths can grow more or it can stay there depending on what residents do in the next few months.

“The truth is, we fought hard to get to where we are today. There’s still more work to do. Now is not the time to give up. Now is not the time for a mission accomplished moment as much as we all wish at work,” Hidalgo said. ”I’d love to be able to say it’s all over. I’d love to be able to give the good news, and to say everything should go 100% back to normal, that nobody needs to hear these uncomfortable masks anymore. But we can’t throw away all our sacrifices.”

Hidalgo said there is some good news, the county is distributing vaccines quickly and efficiently as possible.

Businesses reopening

Hidalgo thanked all businesses in the county that are still requiring masks and limiting capacity.

“Thank you. We see you. We appreciate you. We know you’ve been there from the beginning, leading supporting our population, and as unfair as it is, you carry this burden of keeping the community safe, is an enormous public service,” Hidalgo said. “That spirit of service that focuses on doing the right thing on saving lives is what makes us who we are.”

Source: www.click2houston.com

Two Texas lawmakers on Tuesday filed legislation backed by the gaming empire Las Vegas Sands that would legalize casino gambling in Texas.

The legislation was filed by Rep. John Kuempel, R-Seguin, in the House, and Sen. Carol Alvarado, D-Houston, in the Senate. The proposals would create special casino licenses for four “destination resorts” in the state’s four largest metropolitan areas: Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio, and Austin. At the same time, it would establish a Texas Gaming Commission to regulate casinos, and it would separately legalize sports betting.

The legislation would require amending the Texas Constitution, which currently bans most gaming in Texas. That is only possible with a two-thirds vote of lawmakers in both chambers, and then voter approval in the November election.

Kuempel is the vice-chair of the House Licensing and Administrative Procedures Committee, which oversees industries regulated by the state, including current gaming options. Alvarado, meanwhile, chairs the Senate Democratic Caucus.

Las Vegas Sands, founded by the late GOP megadonor Sheldon Adelson, has spent the past few months building a massive push at the Capitol, spending millions of dollars to hire nearly six dozen lobbyists. The bill-filing deadline for the biennial legislative session, which got underway in January, is Friday.

“We appreciate the work of the bill’s sponsors and we are excited to engage in further discussion with elected leaders and community stakeholders on the possibilities for expanding Texas’ tourism offerings through destination resorts,” Andy Abboud, Las Vegas Sands senior vice president, said in a statement.

The legislation is consistent with the vision that Las Vegas Sands has laid out for casinos in Texas: a limited number of licenses for mixed-use “destination resorts” in the state’s biggest population centers, with a high minimum investment intended to attract only the best operators. To that end, the legislation calls for a land and development investment of at least $2 billion in Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston, as well as $1 billion for San Antonio and Austin.

The “destination resort” licenses would be considered “Class I” licenses. The legislation would then create three “Class II” licenses for “limited casino gaming” at horse-race tracks in Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio. After that, two “Class III licenses” would be made available for similarly limited casino gambling at greyhound tracks in Corpus Christi and Harlingen.

The full casino legalization would also extend to the state’s three federally recognized Native American tribes at their reservations in El Paso, Eagle Pass, and Livingston. They are currently able to offer limited gaming.

The legislation also would generate fresh revenue for the state by imposing a 10% tax on table games and 25% on slot machines.

While the Las Vegas Sands-backed bills also call for legalizing sports wagering, an alliance of Texas’ major professional teams and betting platforms are making their own push at the Capitol and filed their own legislation last month. That coalition, the Sports Betting Alliance, did not immediately have a comment on the Las Vegas Sands-supported bills.

It remains to be seen how viable the casino bills are at the Capitol. Both Gov. Greg Abbott and state House Speaker Dade Phelan have not been opposed to the idea from the outset, with Abbott saying he wants to hear from lawmakers about where their constituents are on the issue.

But Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has been far more pessimistic, saying last month he has “never been in favor of” expanding gaming and the upper chamber is “nowhere close to having the votes for it.”

Source: www.click2houston.com

Texas’ statewide mask mandate has ended as of March 10. Businesses are also now allowed to operate at full capacity as long as the hospitals in their region haven’t been treating a large share of patients for COVID-19. Gov. Greg Abbott announced he was loosening those restrictions so “businesses and families in Texas have the freedom to determine their own destiny.”

Health officials still emphasize the importance of wearing face masks to contain the spread of the virus, alongside handwashing and social distancing. Several Democratic leaders called the executive order “dangerous,” including President Joe Biden, who said it was a “big mistake” to end the mask mandate. In addition, three of Abbott’s four coronavirus medical advisers say they were not directly consulted before he lifted the mandate.

Abbott said the state is in a “completely different position” than it was last year, with more access to testing, successful treatments, protective equipment, and vaccines. However, Texas is still descending from a harsh winter surge that killed thousands and overwhelmed intensive care units across the state. Abbott’s decision to relax restrictions was announced as Texas averaged over 200 reported deaths a day and as Houston reported the presence of every COVID-19 variant, the Houston Chronicle reported.

Here’s a look at what the loosened restrictions mean for Texans:

• Statewide, masks will no longer be required in public for the first time since last summer. Abbott made face coverings mandatory for most Texans on July 2. While more than 30 states still require masking, Texas is the most populous state to not require them. But the federal, state, and local health officials say masks should still be worn and other precautions should be taken to slow the virus’s spread.
• School boards, courts, and college campuses can still require masks. Local governments can also require them in their facilities. Masks are still required on federal property, on public transportation, and in public schools. Days after Abbott’s announcement, Austin, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and El Paso leaders announced that masks will be required to enter city-owned indoor spaces like libraries, police, and fire department headquarters, convention centers, and transportation hubs.
• The legal protections for enforcing mask usage have been significantly lessened under the order — county judges and local officials cannot jail or impose penalties on those who refuse to wear a mask, nor penalize businesses that do not mandate mask usage. They can still enforce trespassing ordinances, though.
• Austin and Travis County public health leaders say that they will continue requiring residents to wear masks in public. But officials didn’t say how they’ll enforce the order. If Austin does try to enforce its mask rule, it could set up a new legal showdown between the state and its capital city.
• Many business owners have said they will require masks, while others feel powerless to enforce such a rule. Some businesses have already faced backlash.
• Businesses can return to 100% capacity, but may still limit capacity or enforce safety protocols “at their own discretion,” according to Abbott’s latest order. That directive states that businesses can still require employees or customers to wear masks. H-E-B, ALDI, Kroger, and Target are among businesses that will still require masks. As of Tuesday, Walmart had not released updated guidance following the announcement; its current policy still requires in-store masking.
• Officials in areas with a large share of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 can scale back business operations. Local officials can limit business operations to 50% capacity if more than 15% of hospital capacity in their region is being used to treat patients with COVID-19 for seven consecutive days or more. If that threshold is met or exceeded, there are no automatic restrictions; local officials must issue them.
• Inmate visitation at the county and municipal jails can resume for the first time since Abbott declared a public health disaster last year, bringing some relief for Texas prisoners. Visits need to be scheduled in advance and only one adult can visit at a time. A negative test result and face masks will be required, and no physical contact will be allowed.

Source: www.click2houston.com