El Paso officials applaud governor’s virus order increasing business capacity, but advise caution

EL PASO, Texas -- El Paso city, county and health officials dicussed the local Covid-19 situation at a news conference Thursday afternoon following a decision earlier in the day by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to allow a loosening of some business restrictions.

Under Abbott's order, increased capacity limits for many businesses can occur in all areas of the state with Covid-19 hospitalization rates below 15%. That includes El Paso, which Mayor Dee Margo noted is currently at 9.6%.

Margo applauded the governor's actions as a move towards fully reopening the economy, which the mayor added would have to be completely rebuilt for some El Paso industries.

But as the economic reopening expands, County Judge Ricardo Samaniego cautioned El Pasoans not to get complacent and urged them to continue to follow social distancing guidelines and wear a mask, as is required by both state and local mandates.

Although the governor's order, among other things, cleared the way for museums and libraries to operate at 75% capacity, Margo said the city was still evaluating whether it had the staffing and finances needed to reopen those facilities in El Paso.

In addition, officials said they were still discussing how to handle Halloween next month. While El Paso hasn't made a decision yet, some communities across the country are not going to allow trick-or-treating due to the virus.

On Thursday, El Paso County reported 2,801 known active virus cases. City-County Health Authority Dr. Hector Ocaranza encouraged El Pasoans to get flu shots as we head into flu season to keep hospitalizations down amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

You can watch the entire news conference in the video player below.