Houston Republic

Small businesses, particularly in the hospitality sector, fear a long, hard winter as cases of COVID-19 continue and Houston officials warn of a crackdown on gatherings, and the possibility of a curfew.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner has expressed alarm that businesses are not adhering to the COVID-19 regulations laid down by the state, including limiting occupancy in bars. Many bars have switched to operating as restaurants, while others are simply ignoring the occupancy rules, according to the city.

Local municipalities and counties are barred from introducing any measures more restrictive than the state, while Gov. Greg Abbott has said he will not introduce any further statewide shutdowns.

Turner warned he could announce a curfew, one of the only real weapons in the city's arsenal beyond enforcing the statewide regulations. It is the "nuclear option," he said at a press conference Monday, adding that the city's legal department has taken steps to prepare for a curfew.

“If we have to go there, I will go there,” Turner said. “For right now, no, we’re not at that point for me to pull that trigger."

An additional 403 COVID-19 cases were reported in the city Monday, bringing the total number of cases in Houston to 101,300. Two more coronavirus-related deaths were reported, bringing the total of deaths in the city at 1,467. The positivity rate is at 8.8%.

Houston Fire Chief Sam Peña said inspectors responded to 105 occupancy complaints between Friday and Saturday, noting most of those were resolved on-site. Businesses that refused to comply were referred to the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission for further action.

"The only way it'll get worse is if we get another spike or our elected officials make a decision that we have to go to lockdown of some kind," Mike Shine, owner of Frank's Americana Revival, told ABC 3 news.

He said revenue at his Westheimer restaurant is down 50% from the same time last year. He is calling for help for businesses but is watching with frustration as Washington deadlocks over any new stimulus package.

"That's been frustrating, watching Congress and their inactivity, their fighting, bickering back and forth. It can be disheartening," Shine told the station.

The Texas Restaurant Association reports that 14% of the 12,500 Houston-area restaurants open before the crisis have closed. It warns that a further 10-15% could close in the near future.

The Houston City Council last week approved $10 million in additional funding for the city’s Small Business Economic Relief Program (SBERP), bringing the total allocation of CARES Act 2020 money used to fund the program to $35 million.

Grant recipients included microbusinesses with five or fewer employees and those that did not receive any financial assistance from other relief programs such as the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) or the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL).