With Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announcing this week his plan to reopen restaurants and businesses at 100% capacity and do away with the statewide mask mandate, many business owners must decide if they will continue to enforce COVID-19 safety guidelines.

Private businesses and entities have the legal right to require customers and employees to wear a mask. In fact, many Houston-area businesses have already announced that they plan to keep the COVID-19 precautions in place.

Guests and employees have no “constitutional free speech rights in a private business or workspace,” according to restaurant.org. The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution protects an individual’s right to free speech from infringement by the government, but not a private business.

According to HPD Chief Art Acevedo, those who do not comply with the mask order or leave the business are subject to arrest for criminal trespassing. He said the department is not interested in arresting people and he urged residents to either wear a mask or take their business elsewhere.

“If you go to a business and they tell you to wear a mask, please either wear the mask or decide to take your business elsewhere. Just remember that if you remain in the business after being asked to leave, you are subject to arrest for criminal trespass,” Acevedo said.

According to the Department of State Health Services, 25% of seniors in Texas have been fully vaccinated.

At Betsy’s in Bellaire, they are seeing much more gray hair in the crowd.

“Recently, we have seen an uptick in our guests who are 65 and older than what we were seeing during the (beginning of the) pandemic,” said Kirk Williamson, chief operating officer of Betsy’s. “What a wonderful site that is.”

After a year of being apart, four longtime friends were finally able to meet in Houston for lunch.

“We’ve pretty much stayed inside,” said Donald Hayes, who is in his 70s. We have not gone too far and have not associated with friends.”

But on Thursday, Hayes and his wife, Becky, met Betty and Phil Leonard for an in-person lunch. Both couples are fully vaccinated.

“This is somewhat of a celebration of being able to get out and do things, social things, after a year of being stuck home,” said Becky Hayes. “Having been vaccinated, I feel like I have a shield around me. Certainly not impenetrable, but I feel so much safer being out.”

The past year has been filled with not just lost lunches with friends, but also missed milestones with grandchildren, both couples expressed.

“Not being with family. That’s been the hardest thing,” said Betty Leonard. “It feels like we are a little bit freer to do things.”

According to the CDC, 2 million people in Texas have received both vaccines.

Vice President of Operations for Ethos Wellness Cyrus Martin said he hopes we can begin to overcome what he calls an “unprecedented challenge”.

“Human connection is probably the most important thing as a contributor to mental health in regard to helping manage depression and anxiety,” said Martin. “Social connections are something that is really important to us as humans. We are really hard-wired to interact with each other in social ways, so it’s been a big challenge for us.”

Although the Hayeses have had each other to lean on during the pandemic, others haven’t been so lucky.

“For my single friends, for my widowed friends, I think it’s been very difficult because they’re alone,” said Becky Hayes.

The two reunited couples hope this is the beginning of a new chapter filled with more lunches, dinners, and in-person fun.

They all said that despite Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s executive order to lift the mask mandate next week, they will continue to wear masks.

Source: www.click2houston.com