ABILENE, Texas — Abilene City Council announces a limited shelter in place order to slow down the spread of COVID-19 in the community.
Starting Tuesday at noon, residents must remain in their homes unless they are doing an essential activity.
According to Mayor Anthony Williams, those activities include: "attending work, providing financial support for families, for medical care, food, shelter and clothing for families."
Only ten people are allowed in a place at a time, including inside and outside. Hair salons, gyms, nail salons, barber shops, grooming shops, gaming places, tattoo parlors, bowling alleys, movie theaters, mini golf courses and other entertainment venues will be closed.
All non-essential businesses are ordered to close by noon on March 31.Capacity must be limited by 50% in the businesses that are allowed to remain open.
City Manager, Robert Hanna, added that "the intent of this order is to protect the physical health and well-being of Abilene residents and to slow the spread of COVID-19 to the maximum extent possible.
The people who are required to self quarantine are ones who feel sick or experiencing symptoms of COVID-19: fever, cough, shortness of breath.
Hanna also added that if you have tested positive for COVID-19, everyone in your household is required to stay home.If you don;t, you will be fined $1000 per day per occurrence.
"This doesn't work if people don't take this seriously," Hanna said.
With now 150,000 positive cases in the country, 27,000 in Texas and 11 in Abilene, Mayor Williams is enforcing this order to help keep those numbers from growing.
"We are trying to make sure our state doesn't become Louisiana and Abilene doesn't become New York City. You do that by being productive," Mayor Williams said.
As of right now, this order will be in place until April 14 at 11:59pm.