The Houston area officially exceeds the hospitalization threshold that triggers reopening reversals

HOUSTON – The Houston area officially exceeded the hospitalization threshold on Tuesday that triggers a reduction in area reopenings, and the state sent letters to county judges informing them of the requirement.

Data from the Texas State Department of Health Services show that coronavirus-related hospitalizations in the Trauma Q Service Area, which includes Harris, Fort Bend and Montgomery counties, were above 15% for seven consecutive days. This triggers a clause in the Texas governor’s reopening order, Greg Abbott, which requires, among other things, closing bars and reducing restaurant capacity by 50%.

KPRC 2 obtained copies of the letters that were sent to the judges in the nine counties that are part of TSA Q. You can read them below.

A DSHS spokesman said the order will take effect immediately.

This would be the same reversals that were instituted in the counties of Galveston and Brazoria, who are in the Trauma Service Area R, just before Christmas.

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said she expected Tuesday’s numbers to push the region over the limit.

“This is a warning for us,” said Hidalgo.

The judge said people should take the situation seriously and act to change the trajectory of the numbers. She said this means that people should wear their masks, stay at home as much as possible, wash their hands, avoid meetings and get tested.

“Each of us knows what to do,” said Hidalgo. “We’ve done this before. We have to do it again. ”

Bar owners worried about survival

A bar that turned into a restaurant in northern Houston, Mel’s Place, said that having to reduce capacity to 50% would be devastating for his small business, which is already struggling to survive.

Pamela Hillhouse, owner of Mel’s Place on Airline Drive, said she needed to use more money to get a license and products to serve food.

“You have to buy the cooking equipment – all of it – it really has been difficult,” said Hillhouse.

Stella Birchfield, the bartender-in-chief at Mel’s Place, said she chose to retire from her other job and spent years working at the bar, looking after regular customers.

“This is my home. I retired from the county and this is my place where I have all my people here – my family. It means a lot to me, ”said Birchfield.

Miles away in Fort Bend County, Stafford Ice House owner Karla Webb said her company has been in the family for 27 years.

“We are all owned and run by women,” said Webb.

Known as the “friendliest bar in the city”, the business caters to many familiar faces.

“Our customers are important to us; they are our family, so we don’t want to make them sick and we check what our protocol is,” said Webb.

Webb is choosing not to close, despite the request, because she and her employees depend on the business to survive.

“We are not going to survive another closure because the accounts will not stop. You still have to pay your bills, ”said Webb.

Webb said he will continue his efforts to keep customers safe.

“Customers are safer here than at the supermarket,” said Webb.

You can watch a replay of Hidalgo’s press conference below: