BEAUMONT, Texas — The state will not be ordering reduced capacities at businesses and restaurants in Southeast Texas county officials learned Wednesday morning on a call with state officials.
"Trauma Service Region R" which includes all of Southeast Texas as well as Galveston and Brazoria Counties has been seeing higher COVID-19 hospitalizations which could have triggered the tighter capacity limits.
Hardin County Judge Wayne McDaniel, who was on a call with more than 20 other county judges judges this morning, told 12News that the region's hospitalization rate for the past two days has been below 15% according to the State of Texas.
Southeast Texas officials look to hospitalization tracking from the Southeast Texas Regional Advisory Council which shows that on Tuesday and the previous four days the rate had been 15% or above.
Governor Greg Abbott has said that seven consecutive days above 15% would mean areas would have to look at scaling back occupancy.
The state looks at hospital data from another source according to McDaniel who told 12News that the judges have asked to see that data.
"TSA-R does not currently meet the 7 day requirement but we foresee the possibility in the future based on current trends," the Southeast Texas Regional Operations Center said in a Wednesday afternoon news release.
"If measures are put in place to decrease capacity, levels must be below 15% for 7 days to increase capacity," the release said.
Jefferson County Judge Jeff Branick told 12News on Tuesday that he thought it was likely the county might have to go back to 50% capacity. It is currently at 75%.
"I feel pretty confident that (reducing capacity) will happen," Branick told 12News Investigator Lauren Hensley. "With the Thanksgiving holiday, we always see a spike in new infections, and I expect that to be the case here."
The new occupancy could have impacted events at city and county-owned venues like the Civic Center, which is hosting the annual Junior League's Main Street Market this weekend.
The Department of Public Health has been so busy keeping up with the surge in new cases that they simply are unable to account for where people were infected, Branick said.
With COVID hospitalizations surging 114% in a week and the county stretched thin of resources, Branick contacted the state for much-needed relief last week.
"We're preparing contingency plans for hospital surges," Branick said Monday. "We're trying to get more nurse and physicians in. We have been promised by the state that we will be getting more test kits and more resources to assist us."
In an effort to combat the surge in hospitalization, Branick said area hospitals will open up more beds for COVID-19 patients. He, along with local doctors, are still emphasizing everyone needs to do their part to help stop the spread.