Heed the advice of officials and help your community by staying home and washing your hands.
With the Coronavirus situation developing, things in the short-term are beginning to take shape for the cities of Greater Houston, Galveston and the United States as a whole. The key message?
Stay at home and wash your hands.
As of Tuesday, March 17, 2020, restaurants have scrapped their dine-in services and are offering take-out and delivery options only. Click here to view our regularly updated list of Houston-area restaurants and establishments with curbside to-go and delivery options.
Bars and nightclubs are required closed until further notice, and many public spaces, museums, attractions and other areas have voluntarily closed. Click here to view our regularly updated list of event postponements, cancellations, and closures in Houston.
All that is to say that there aren’t many places for anyone to be headed out to at the moment—so stay at home as much as you can.
The Houston Health Department recommends these guidelines for social distancing:
- Avoid gatherings of 10 or more people.
- Maintain at least 6 feet of separation from other people.
- Avoid discretionary travel, shopping trips, and social visits.
- Do not visit nursing homes or retirement or long-term care facilities unless to provide critical care situations.
- Practice healthy hygiene habits:
- Wash your hands, wash your hands, wash your hands. Use soap and water for at least 20 seconds, use hand sanitizer when you can’t wash your hands.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
- Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue and throw the tissue away. If you don’t have a tissue, use the elbow of your sleeve.
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick, especially if you are at higher risk for Coronavirus.
- Get plenty of rest, drink plenty of fluids, eat healthy foods, and manage your stress to keep your immunity strong. Sleep is currently an under-stressed facet of maintaining your health during this crisis.
- Work or engage in schooling from home whenever possible.
- Even if you are not ill, avoid visiting hospitals, long-term care facilities or nursing homes to the extent possible. If you do need to visit one of these facilities, limit your time there and keep six feet away from patients.
Please be safe and practice that Houston spirit: be respectful, treat each other with kindness, and promote community care.