EL PASO – A state appeals court on Thursday put on hold El Paso County’s shutdown of nonessential businesses that was scheduled to last until December 1.
The shutdown order was issued Oct. 29 by El Paso County judge Ricardo Samaniego in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19, which has hit this area with such force that patients are being airlifted to other cities in order to make room at local hospitals.
Recommended Videos
Samaniego extended the order Wednesday but a group of local restaurants and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton had been trying to block the effort since it was issued, arguing that it went beyond Gov. Greg Abbott’s own executive order that outlines what limits can be placed on private businesses across the state.
A state district judge last week permitted the El Paso shutdown to stand pending a final resolution of the case, but the 8th Court of Appeals paused Samaniego’s effort until a final decision is made. That could come as soon as Friday.
“I commend the 8th Court of Appeals for stopping El Paso Co. Judge Samaniego’s shutdown order — pending the final decision on the merits,” Paxton tweeted Thursday. “It is important that we do not shutdown the economy ever again, [and] this decision allows small businesses to continue to operate & pay employees.”
The appellate court’s decision comes the same day El Paso County recorded 976 new cases, adding to the overall total of more than 68,000 since the pandemic began. The city also reported an additional 29 deaths due to the virus. About 1,150 people are hospitalized, including 287 in intensive care, according to city statistics.
El Paso Mayor Dee Margo, who’s been at odds with Samaniego over the shutdown, said during a news conference Thursday that since the beginning of the year, about 26% of small businesses have closed and more than 15,000 jobs have been lost because of the economic hit the city has taken.
“Besides the physical deaths, we have a lot of financial issues and families hurting,” he said. “They’re trying to put food on the table , they’re trying to pay rent, they’re trying to pay for their medicine.”
Need to stay updated on coronavirus news in Texas? Our evening roundup will help you stay on top of the day’s latest updates. Sign up here.