Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) issued an executive order Thursday suspending elective surgeries in four counties where surging COVID-19 outbreaks threaten to overwhelm hospitals.

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The order takes effect Friday at midnight in Bexar, Dallas, Harris and Travis counties, which hold some of the state’s largest cities.

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All hospitals are ordered to postpone surgeries or procedures that are not “immediately, medically necessary to correct a serious medical condition or to preserve the life of a patient.”

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