WEDNESDAY 10-07-2020 EDINBURG – Hidalgo County as well as other counties in the Rio Grande Valley, are no longer considered high hospitalization areas and, therefore, will be subject to higher occupancy levels ordered by Governor Greg Abbott in September, a state health official told Hidalgo County Judge Richard F. Cortez on Tuesday. Governor Abbott relaxed occupancy standards across the state on September 17, allowing retail outlets; restaurants; office buildings; manufacturing facilities; gyms, museums and libraries to open up its occupancy to 75 percent of the facility’s listed capacity – up from 50 percent. But the governor made exceptions for three areas of ...