AUSTIN, Texas — Gov. Greg Abbott issued an executive order limiting public gatherings to 10 people, shutting schools, prohibiting visitors to nursing homes and retirement communities and limiting bars and restaurants to take-out through April 3 in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19. He also recommended that non-essential state employees telework.

The virus's quick spread is sparking a dramatic response from Republican state leaders, who until now had been letting local officials issue guidance on closures. About 140 Texans have tested positive for COVID-19 and three people have died since the first case on March 4.


“The traditional model that we have employed in the state of Texas for such a long time so effectively does not apply to an invisible disease that knows no geographic or jurisdictional boundaries,” Abbott, said at a press conference.