AUSTIN (AP) — Two weeks into the reopening of Texas, coronavirus cases are climbing. New outbreaks still crop up. And at Guero's Taco Bar in Austin, which offers the occasional celebrity sighting, a log of every diner and where they sat is begrudgingly in the works.
“It seems like a huge invasion of privacy," said owner Cathy Lipincott, who is nonetheless trying to comply with Austin's local public health guidelines by asking, but not requiring, customers to give their information.
Few states are rebooting quicker than Texas, where stay-at-home orders expired May 1. With cases still rising — including single-day highs of 1,458 new cases and 58 deaths Thursday and only slightly lower Friday with 1,347 new cases and 56 new deaths reported, bringing the state's total to more than 45,000 — Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has defended the pace by emphasizing that hospitalization and infection rates are steady, and pointing out that Texas’ 1,200 deaths still lag similarly big states, including California and Florida.
