Houston Business Coalition Urges Restart of Operations by May 1
Jon Silberman
HOUSTON – (Realty News Report) – Houston real estate executive Jon Silberman has organized the Houston Coronavirus Business Group to advocate for a measured reopening of business activity.
The group is petitioning Texas officials to permit businesses to resume operations — with appropriate restrictions and precautions — beginning May 1.
The current stay-at-home order is set to expire April 30, and Silberman says he strongly opposes extending the lockdown into May.
“When we formed the group and reached out to small and medium-sized business owners and contractors, the response was overwhelmingly clear: the current situation cannot continue past the end of April,” Silberman wrote in a letter to elected officials. “Entrepreneurs and businesspeople working in the trenches in Houston are telling us the situation is dire and worsening each day. The effects are cascading through the economy and, if allowed to continue, will push us past a point of no return into a prolonged downturn that could lead to a depression and a recovery that takes years.”
The organization’s website www.houstoncoronavirusbusinessgroup.com includes a petition for signatures.
“I also plan to request meetings with key officials and bring several group members to advocate for our needs and interests,” said Silberman, managing partner of NAI Partners. “This must be addressed now. Decisions made in the coming weeks will have dramatic consequences for lives, jobs, mental health and much more.”
Silberman said the lockdown has caused revenues to disappear and has led to layoffs and furloughs. Businesses and individuals are struggling to meet rent and other obligations amid the economic contraction.
Among the group’s recommendations as part of a phased return to work on May 1 are:
Limit large public gatherings for the month of May
Provide and require testing for anyone with symptoms, and expand testing if available
Require testing for people who have knowingly been in contact with a confirmed case
Implement temperature screenings and health questionnaires at certain locations
Require a 14-day quarantine for anyone who tests positive
Recommend that people over 65 and those with serious medical conditions stay home and avoid public contact
Eliminate handshaking
Encourage frequent handwashing and enhanced sanitation measures
Focus on creating additional hospital capacity at sites such as NRG and the Convention Center to meet potential demand
Continue to review and monitor results in terms of cases and deaths
Silberman said the organization will send the petition to the Governor, the Mayor of Houston, the Harris County Judge and other elected officials.
