AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – The Texas Capitol is reopening to the public.
Republican Governor Greg Abbott announced Monday that the public will be allowed back in capitol on Jan. 4. That’s roughly a week before the Texas Legislature reconvenes.
The decision comes as new coronavirus cases and hospitalizations are surging to the highest levels since summer. Texas had more than 9,800 hospitalized coronavirus patients as of Sunday, the most since a deadly summer outbreak.
The state is approaching the Christmas holiday with fewer than 800 intensive care unit beds and last Thursday smashed a single-day record for new cases with with more than 16,000, which state officials partly attributed to holiday gatherings.
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