Gov. Greg Abbott’s Plan To Reopen Texas:

• TX Stay at Home order will expire April 30
• May 1, retail stores, malls & theaters can operate at 25% capacity
• POSSIBLY by May 18, move to 50% capacity
• Hair salons, barber shops, gyms possibly mid-May

As Texas ranks one of the worst states in the nation for Covid-19 testing Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday said his statewide stay-at-home order will expire on Thursday as scheduled, while Texas malls, stores, restaurants, movie theaters and restaurants may open the next day — with 25% occupancy.

Barber shops, hair salons, gyms, massage establishments, tattoo parlors, video arcades and bowling alleys must wait until mid-May at the earliest to reopen, he said.

Outdoor sports such as golf and tennis may resume with no more than four participants in a match, and they must observe social distancing guidelines, he said.

Businesses will be free to choose not to open, and in less populated counties with five or fewer confirmed cases, they will be able to open at 50% capacity, he said.

Museums and public libraries can reopen, again with the 25% capacity limitation. However, a city doesn’t have to let them do so, Abbott said. And in shopping malls, he said, food courts, play areas and interactive displays and settings must remain closed, he said.

The Republican governor “strongly” recommended that Texans wear masks while in public. However, he said local requirements imposed by Democratic-controlled commissioners courts in Dallas and Harris counties — as well as elsewhere — are superseded by his new orders. No one can be fined by a locality for not wearing a facial covering, he said.

“Opening Texas must occur in phases,” Abbott said. “Obviously, not all businesses can open all at once. A more strategic approach is required to ensure that we don’t reopen only to have to close down again.”