TEXAS — California is extending its stay-home order for another three months.

According to the Los Angeles Times, California’s stay-home order will likely last well into the summer because of a lack of widespread testing and contact tracing. State officials hope to gradually relax some individual restrictions as health conditions improve.

What Would Three More Months of a Stay-Home Order Look Like in Texas?

Texas has not extended its stay-home order. What the state would look like if those measures were extended would depend on whatever Gov. Greg Abbott decided. For a hypothetical situation, we can compare Texas’ guidelines to California’s.

On March 19, Gov. Abbott issued broad restrictions statewide to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Abbott issued several executive orders that required most businesses, including bars and restaurants, to be closed. Takeout orders were still permitted. In addition, he ordered all gyms be closed. Visits to nursing and retirement homes were not permitted unless they were part of critical care. Schools were also shut down, but that did not restrict districts from offering online learning. With a three-month extension on the stay-home order, the measures listed above would continue for another three months.

Slowly Reopening Businesses

California Gov. Gavin Newsom laid out new protocols for some businesses to reopen. He said California restaurants, malls, car washes, and pet groomers could soon reopen in counties that meet the state’s standards for coronavirus testing, contact tracing and success at reducing cases. Once these businesses reopen, they will have to follow the state’s social distancing guidelines.

Only seven of the 58 counties in California have met the standards to reopen more businesses. Rural counties with fewer cases are able to meet the state’s standards sooner than larger counties.

If Texas’ guidelines were similar to California’s, it would likely be quite a while before most retail businesses could reopen in larger counties including Bexar, Dallas, Harris, and Travis.

Reopening University Campuses

California State University canceled most in-person classes for this fall. The university is holding mostly online classes instead.

The University of Texas won’t announce its plans for the fall semester until June. But if Texas’ stay-home orders were extended, maybe state universities would also lean towards online classes in the fall.

Parks and Hiking Trails

Many of California’s state parks are closed due to the pandemic. In Texas, state parks opened on April 20, but if the stay-home order was extended, maybe the parks would reopen later in the summer.

Texas’ Stay-Home Order

Gov. Abbott is taking an aggressive approach to restart the state’s economy. His stay-home order expired on April 30. He reopened the economy with a two-phase plan. Retail stores, malls, restaurants, museums, libraries and movie theaters were allowed to open on May 1 with restrictions. Salons and public swimming pools were allowed to reopen on May 8.

More businesses and facilities will be allowed to open on May 18. That includes gyms, non-essential manufacturing services, and offices with no more than five people or 25 percent of the total workforce.