Staff Reports

Muleshoe and Bailey County are back to operating at 25 to 50 percent capacity.
Both the county and the city made a joint announcement last week following Gov. Greg Abbott’s announcement to reopen the state in phases starting May 1.
The first phase includes reopening restaurants and retail stores at limited capacity.
“The Governor’s plan also made specific provisions for rural counties such as ours to increase capacity in restaurants and retail businesses to 50%, providing certain standards have been met,” reads the joint news release.
“Both City of Muleshoe and Bailey County officials have worked to ensure Bailey County qualifies for this increase in capacity. This is an important step for our local business owners and for the people of our County.”
While the option to reopen is available, it’s not mandatory.
As businesses reopen, county and city officials continue to encourage people to maintain social distance of up to six feet between individuals not within the same household; practice good hand hygiene; cover your face; minimize or eliminate physical contact; and self-screen before going into a public place.
A full list of protocols can be found at dshs.texas.gov/coronavirus/opentexas.aspx. Guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control can be found at www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html.
Citizens are also asked to remain vigilant of COVID-19 symptoms and contact a health provider if you experience: cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing; chills and/or repeated shaking with chills; muscle pain, headache and/or sore throat; loss of taste or smell; diarrhea; or a fever of at least 100 degrees or higher. Those who come in contact with a known individual that tests positive are also encouraged to talk to a health provider. Information about testing locations can be found at www.texas.gov/covid19/.
“According to GA-18, stricter restrictions may be re-applied should monitoring and testing reveal a resurgence in spread of the virus,” the news release reads.
At this time, bars, gyms, public swimming pools, bowling alleys, video arcades, tattoo studios, piercing studios and cosmetology salons must remain closed. Visitors are also still prohibited for nursing homes, state supported living centers, assisted living facilities or long-term care facilities.