The Carrollton City Council has unanimously voted to suspend the current Health and Safety ordinance in favor of aligning with Governor Abbott’s Executive Order from Friday to begin the process of reopening the local economy.
The ordinance, which was approved on April 7 and allowed for streamlined parameters and enforcement in Carrollton, was amended Tuesday to expire at 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday. The originally scheduled expiration date was April 30.
Residents and businesses will continue to operate under the orders of their respective counties and the statewide orders executed by Governor Abbott.
“By releasing this ordinance, it’s not as if Carrollton is unprotected,” Mayor Kevin Falconer said. “If we need to act, the Disaster Declaration for Local State of Emergency that extends through May 12 remains in place giving us that power if necessary. Also, we have the governor’s executive orders as well as both Dallas and Denton Counties’ orders in place for the appropriate protections.”
Mayor Falconer said that allowing the ordinance to expire provides more flexibility as the City of Carrollton looks to the possibility of reopening in the coming weeks and months.
Council members said that though the city-wide regulation will now be relaxed, Carrollton will remain guarded and flexible with the decisions coming down from the state and the counties.
Under Abbott's Executive Order, a “retail-to-go” model will allow retail outlets in Texas to reopen beginning Friday. All schools in Texas will remain closed for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year. The restrictions on surgeries were loosened on Tuesday at 11:59 p.m. State parks were reopened Monday with guidelines in place to reduce the spread of coronavirus.
Dallas County extended its stay-at-home order until May 15. The order was amended to allow certain stores to operate for the sole purpose of selling school supplies, fabric, and other materials needed to make masks and cloth coverings.
The Dallas County Commissioners said that failure to wear a cloth covering while entering an "essential business" cannot result in any civil or criminal fines or penalties.
