On April 17, 2020, Texas Governor, Gregg Abbot signed Executive
Order GA-15 which extended, with some modifications, Executive
Order GA-09 which prohibits certain non-emergency surgeries and
procedures and is set to expire on April 21, 2020 at 11:59 p.m.
GA-15 extends the basic provisions of this order through May 8, but
expands the scope of procedures that can be done in Texas.
Background
Executive Order GA-09
On March 22, 2020, Governor Abbott issued GA-09 in the wake of
national and state disaster declarations. The stated purpose of
GA-09 is to prevent a shortage of hospital bed capacity and
supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE) in the event of a
surge of COVID-19 patients needing hospital care. GA-09 addressed
this purpose by requiring all licensed health care providers to
postpone all surgeries and procedures until midnight on April 22.
The order has several exceptions – (a) surgeries or
procedures that are immediately medical necessary to correct
