State Parks In El Paso County Will Not Reopen This Week

Despite Texas Governor Greg Abbott wanting to start slowly reopening the Lone Star state, you won't see state parks in El Paso County opening next week.On Friday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced that the state will begin opening in phases after he said "that the worst of COVID-19 may soon be behind us," according to the Texas Tribune. The first steps in the initial phase of reopening of the state include opening retail stores, limited non-essential surgeries and the opening of state parks. However the governor's orders does not apply to all state parks, according to KVIA.

Texas Parks and Wildlife executive director Carter Smith said there are 5 state parks that are exempt from the governor's order and that includes parks in El Paso County. Franklin Mountains and Hueco Tanks State Parks will not be reopening next week and will be closed until further notice due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Also included on the list to continue being closed were Wyler Tramway and Big Bend State Park. A representative for Texas Parks and Wildlife said the public will be notified when a re-opening date has been determined.