Notice to Rockwall County from State Health Services regarding GA-32, 50% occupancy

ROCKWALL, TX – December5, 2020 – The following letter from Dr. John Hellerstedt, Commissioner, Texas Department of State Health Services, was sent today to Rockwall County Judge David Sweet and local Mayors regarding Governor Abbott’s Executive Order GA-32.

Dear Judge Sweet:

On Wednesday, October 7, 2020, Governor Abbott issued Executive Order GA-32, which superseded GA-30. Significantly, GA-32 updates the thresholds for areas with high hospitalizations. The new definition of areas with high hospitalizations is:

Any Trauma Service Area that has had seven consecutive days in which the number of COVID-19 hospitalized patients as a percentage of total hospital capacity exceeds 15 percent, until such time as the Trauma Service Area has seven consecutive days in which the number of COVID-19 hospitalized patients as a percentage of total hospital capacity is 15 percent or less.

For the past seven days, the number of COVID-19 hospitalized patients in Trauma Service Area E as a percentage of total hospital capacity exceeds 15 percent, making it an area with high hospitalizations as defined above.

As a result, as of December 5, 2020, all restaurants, retail stores, office buildings, manufacturing facilities, gyms and exercise facilities and classes, museums, and libraries in all counties in Trauma Service Area E are required to return to maximum 50 percent occupancy levels, except in any county that separately qualifies for the greater occupancy levels because it has minimal cases of COVID-19 under the Department of State Health Services attestation process.

Trauma Service Area E includes the following counties:
• Collin County
• Cooke County
• Dallas County
• Denton County
• Ellis County
• Erath County
• Fannin County
• Grayson County
• Hood County
• Hunt County
• Johnson County
• Kaufman County
• Navarro County
• Palo Pinto County
• Parker County
• Rockwall County
• Somervell County
• Tarrant County
• Wise County

Additionally, all licensed hospitals in the Trauma Service Area are required to discontinue elective surgeries as set forth in Executive Order GA-31. The Health and Human Services Commission, the agency responsible for regulating hospitals in Texas, is separately providing notice directly to affected hospitals notifying them of the requirement to discontinue elective surgeries located in Trauma Service Area E.
If you have questions about this notice or your obligations under Executive Order GA-32, please contact us at coronavirus@dshs.texas.gov. Please enter “Executive Order 32” in the subject line for proper routing. If you have questions specifically related to the hospitals’ obligations under GA-31, please contact the Health and Human Services Commission at infohflc@hhs.texas.gov.

Sincerely,
John Hellerstedt, M.D.
cc: Mayors in Rockwall County

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