– June 30, 2020

Today, June 30, 2020, Governor Greg Abbott issued a proclamation amending Executive Order GA-27 related to increased hospital capacity in Texas during the disaster posed by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). GA-27 became effective at 11:59 p.m. CDT on June 26.

The proclamation adds the following four counties to the list of those in which elective surgeries are banned in their hospitals: Cameron County, Hidalgo County, Nueces County, and Webb County. This is in addition to the previous suspension of elective surgeries for all hospitals licensed under Chapter 241 of the Texas Health and Safety Code in Bexar, Dallas, Harris, or Travis counties.

This proclamation will become effective at 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday July 1, and will remain in effect and in full force for as long as Executive Order GA-27 is in effect and in full force, unless otherwise modified, amended, rescinded, or superseded by the governor.

– June 25, 2020

Governor Greg Abbott today issued an Executive Order to ensure hospital bed availability for COVID-19 patients as Texas faces an increase in cases of the coronavirus and hospitalizations.

Effective at 11:59 p.m. on Friday, June 26, every hospital located in Bexar, Dallas, Harris, or Travis counties that is licensed under Chapter 241 of the Texas Health and Safety Code must postpone all surgeries and procedures that are not medically necessary to diagnose or correct a serious medical condition or that may preserve a patient’s life. This elective surgery prohibition does not apply to any procedure that would not deplete any hospital capacity needed to cope with the COVID-19 disaster.

The governor may add to or subtract from the list of counties covered by this prohibition. This executive order will remain in effect until it is modified, amended, rescinded, or superseded by the governor.

This is the second time that Governor Abbott has paused elective surgeries in Texas. The Governor implemented the first ban on March 22, 2020. He relaxed this restriction on April 22, 2020, by allowing hospitals to resume non-essential procedures under certain conditions, as long as 15% of beds were reserved for coronavirus patients.