Houston mayor reveals 'wall of shame' for businesses ignoring shutdown specifications

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner is not afraid to put a spotlight on the businesses that refuse to adhere to the governor’s guidelines implemented to slow the spread of covid-19.

On Monday, the mayor added three bars to his “wall of shame” that highlights overcrowded establishments.

Houston mayor announces business "wall of shame" for COVID-19 non-compliance https://t.co/xWP3gpt3kD

— Newsweek (@Newsweek) June 29, 2020

Restaurants are allowed to operate at 75% capacity while bars and clubs must operate at 50% capacity, per the Texas executive orders for reopening.

Turner said any relevant cases of overcrowding would be referred to the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, which has been issuing temporary, 30-day suspensions of liquor licenses for establishments that violate Gov. Greg Abbott’s orders to reduce occupancy. Turner said the city will not put anyone in jail for failing to comply with the guidelines.

“If you go into a place that is crowded and you can’t engage in social distancing, you should turn around and walk out,” Turner said at a press conference. “This is real. People are dying, people are getting sick, people are in ICU beds. Quite frankly, I have lost my patience with you in that regard.”

Texas is quickly becoming the country’s new epicenter, the strain from increasing testing demand was felt by hospitals, public health departments and patients alike, Bloomberg News reported.

Armed with blankets and pillows, Texans wait in their cars for hours outside a testing center in Houston, one of the new COVID-19 epicenters in the US.

"I've been here since three in the morning," 22-year-old Maria Solis tells @AFPhttps://t.co/HC7lSCNrYl pic.twitter.com/QQqbQB8wjB

— AFP news agency (@AFP) June 30, 2020

On Monday, the Houston Health Department reported 1,317 new cases in two days, bringing the total to 20,011.