Harris County, home to approximately 4.7 million people, has seen a sudden increase in reported cases in recent weeks. There have now been at least 28,255 cases in the county and 361 deaths, most of which stem from the Houston city limits.
But even though Mrs. Hidalgo urged residents to stay home, the county is not under a stay-at-home order as it was two months ago because Mr. Abbott’s reopening guidelines supersede Ms. . Gentleman. She said at the press conference that she had urged the governor to allow her to issue an executive order to stay home, and when that did not happen, she pleaded with residents to stay home voluntarily.
At Gatlin’s BBQ in Houston, restaurant owners maintained a stricter limit for customers than state guidelines require because Mary Gatlin, 69, co-owner, felt it was too soon. They have primarily been serving takeaways and allowing customers only 25 percent of their full capacity. Still, they are sometimes sold without brisket and ribs.
“Our neighbors throughout the area really support us, and we really thank God for them, because they help us stay open and keep the employees we have working,” said Gatlin.
Houstonians aren’t the only ones who have had to contend with public health regulations on the use of whipping. In Florida, where cases are also on the rise, authorities have banned alcohol consumption in bars, an acknowledgment that infections could spread there. Bars were ordered closed in Boise, Idaho, and the surrounding area just a few weeks after opening.
Russ Duke, director of the Idaho state health agency that oversees four central counties, moved Ada County, which includes Boise, to a stage in its reopening progression this week after investigators determined that half of the New cases from the region were among people who had flocked to the newly opened bars and nightclubs. Duke said it seemed increasingly clear that the reopening would have to happen slowly and cautiously, allowing the more restrictive measures to be reversed if things worsened.
