On the footsteps of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s order allowing bars to reopen at 50% capacity if approved by the local county judge, Wood County Judge Lucy Hebron filed the necessary paperwork with the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission on Friday ahead of the planned Oct. 14 reopening.

Bars had been shut down since June 26. The TABC had made provisions that bars could readjust their business models and reopen as long as more than half of their business was from food sales.

The governor’s latest executive order puts in place strict procedures for bars to reopen, which includes being in an area where there are not high hospitalizations.

Among the key restrictions:

All customers must be seated while eating or drinking at the bar or similar establishment.

Bars must stop serving alcohol at 11 p.m. each day.

All employees and customers must wear a face covering (over the nose and mouth) wherever it is not feasible to maintain six feet of social distancing from another individual not in the same household, except when seated at the bar or similar establishment to eat or drink.

Customers may not loiter at the bar or in commonly trafficked areas and should remain seated at tables at the bar or similar establishment.

As recommended by the bar and nightclub industry, keep dance floors closed. Activities that enable close human contact are discouraged.

As of Monday Wood County had 575 confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 since case counts were begun in March, with another 127 probable cases that are awaiting a lab-confirmed PCR test.

Of the 575 cases, 49 remain active. There have been 22 deaths plus one probable. Broken down by ZIP code there have been nine in Mineola, eight in Winnsboro, four in Quitman and one each in Alba and Holly Lake.

The Northeast Texas Public Health District, which reports statistics for Wood County, unveiled a new tracking tool late last week that shows community spread levels.

All seven counties in the NET Health region are reporting moderate levels, with seven-day rolling positive rates between 10 and 35. Wood County was just under 17 while Smith County was highest at 25.3. Van Zandt was lowest at 10.6.

Moderate is defined as “sustained transmission with confirmed exposure within congregate settings and potential for rapid increase in cases.”

The number represents the  number of cases per 100,000 residents.

According to state figures, some 5,771 Wood County residents had been tested for COVID-19 since March.