During the meeting, Chairman Gordy Bunch said national guidelines established earlier in the day will consist of three phases to slowly allow the country to begin coming back online.
The first phase, Bunch said, will begin allowing groups of up to 10 to gather as long as social distancing guidelines are followed. Bunch said this will allow the township to reopen amenities, such as basketball and tennis courts, to the public.
During the first phase, if schools had already closed, they will remain closed. Gyms will be able to reopen during the first phase as well, though distancing guidelines will need to be adhered to. Venues, such as restaurants, can operate but must follow strict distancing protocols.
Bunch said the second phase will see groups of 50 or fewer be allowed to gather again and nonessential travel will be allowed to resume. Large venue businesses, such as theaters, will be allowed to operate with moderate distancing guidelines in place, and bars will be allowed to resume business with diminished occupancy.
During the third phase, Bunch said the vulnerable population, including the elderly, the immuncompromised and those with breathing conditions, will no longer be under shelter in place, though social distancing will be encouraged. Employers will also be able to return to full staffing.
Bunch said an additional condition will be for an area to show 14 days of decreasing cases before a full reopening can occur.
"I wanted our residents to know the president has outlined the conditions to reopen and what [reopening] will look like," Bunch said. "Today is a much more hopeful day than it was two weeks ago. It's nice to have something tangible we can look at."
No estimated timeline was available during the meeting on when the phases will occur. As it currently stands, the state of Texas will be under a stay-at-home order until the end of April.
