Texas – Gov. Greg Abbott issued an executive order Friday morning that requires all rafting and tubing businesses to close, just ahead of the Fourth of July weekend.
The announcement comes just one day after San Marcos River parks closed.
Recommended Videos
“As I said from the start, if the positivity rate rose above 10%, the State of Texas would take further action to mitigate the spread of COVID-19,” Abbott said Friday.
Texas has seen a major increase in positive coronavirus cases recently, including a record-high of 5,551 new cases on Wednesday.
Gov. Greg Abbott says bars must close by noon, restaurants to scale back capacity
Abbott’s executive action also requires bars to close back down, read more on that here.
“The actions in this executive order are essential to our mission to swiftly contain this virus and protect public health. We want this to be as limited in duration as possible,” Abbott said.
Boerne city leaders announced Thursday that Boerne City Lake would also be temporarily closed on weekends and holidays, including July 4.
San Marcos river parks to close next Thursday due to COVID-19 surge
July 4 weekend is typically the busiest weekend of the year for tubing in Texas, followed by Memorial Day weekend.
The executive order also states that “transportation of people for the purpose of rafting or tubing” is also prohibited.
“I know that our collective action can lead to a reduction in the spread of COVID-19 because we have done it before, and we will do it again,” Abbott said.