Texas is reopening retail stores and restaurants on Friday despite rising coronavirus death tolls in the state — here's a closer look at how the Lone Star State is preparing to reopen its economy
Bethany Biron
- Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced on Monday that he will enact a multi-stage reopening plan beginning on May 1 with retail stores, malls, restaurants, and movie theaters.
- The second wave is expected as early as May 18 and will include barbershops, hair salons, bars, and gyms. All public establishments will be required to operate at no more than 25% capacity, and up to 50% in select rural areas.
- Here's a closer look at how the Lone Star State is responding to the coronavirus.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
Texas — home of the world's 10th largest economy — is officially reopening on Friday as death tolls continue to rise in the state.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced on Monday that he will enact a multi-stage reopening plan, with the initial wave beginning on May 1. Under the new policy, Texans can patronize retail stores, malls, restaurants, libraries, museums, and movie theaters at 25% capacity. In rural counties with less than five confirmed cases of the coronavirus, these public establishments are permitted to operate at up to 50% capacity.
As early as May 18, Abbott said the state may open its doors once more to barbershops, hair salons, bars, and gyms, based on monitoring cases in the state in the first half of the month. Texas currently has 27,839 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and 776 reported deaths. On April 28, the state reported 42 deaths, up from 26 the week prior and 11 at the beginning of the month.
"Now it's time to set a new course, a course that responsibly opens up business in Texas," Abbott said in a press conference on Monday. "We will open in a way that uses safe standards -- safe standards for businesses, for their employees as well as for their customers. Standards based upon data and on doctors."
Businesses around the state this week prepared to welcome back customers by deep cleaning and sanitizing, with several even defying state orders completely by opening up restaurant patio seating and dining rooms early.
Here's a closer at how Texas is preparing to restart its economy.
Read the original article on Business InsiderAn employee of Federal American Grill slicing limes while wearing a mask on April 24.
According to the Houston Chronicle, Brice risked a $1,000 fine and up to six months in jail for defying the order.
In Houston, the owner of Federal American Grill began seating customers in its dining room as early as April 24 on a reservation-only basis with safety measures and social distancing in place, despite eateries being restricted to takeout only through April 30.
"We've complied 100 percent until now," Federal American Grill owner Matt Brice told the Houston Chronicle. "What I don't like is that the government is picking and choosing which businesses win or lose. They are sinking the economy. We have to stand our ground and get people back to work."
... and this hair salon, where a customer came in for a trim on April 24. Salons and spas have not been officially reopened by the governor yet.
Elsewhere in Dallas, some salons have already been up and running, like this one that erected plastic barriers between the aesthetician and the customer ...
In Houston, masked shoppers wait to enter a store after Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo mandated on Monday that all residents must wear masks in public with the exception of eating, drinking, or exercising.
Employees at the Galleria Mall in Dallas, Texas have been cleaning the premises this week in advance of the return of shoppers on Friday.
A man wearing a bandana as a protective covering walks past a series of coronavirus-related murals in Austin, Texas.
Also in Colleyville, a waitress at Benny's Cafe served food to customers on Monday before the official statewide reopening date.
A Costa Vida employee handles payments at the front door of the restaurant. While patio seating is open, only employees are allowed inside.
Costa Vida restaurant employee Mike Deibert, left, accepts payment from a customer who was dining on the patio of the Mexican restaurant in Colleyville, Texas, Monday, April 27, 2020. The city of Colleyville relaxed rules in place due to COVID-19, allowing local restaurants to open up their patio to customers for dining. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
A woman waiting in a social distancing line marked by orange traffic cones at Costa Vida takes a menu from an employee.
Customers interested in patio dining are asked to place orders with employees at the front door of the restaurant. The food is then delivered to their tables, takeout style.
At Costa Vida Mexican restaurant in Colleyville, Texas, diners were already spotted eating on the outdoor patio earlier this week in advance of the statewide reopening. The city independently relaxed its social distancing rules earlier this week.
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