‌
Greater Northside Management District
June 29, 2020
Dear GNMD Friend,

With the current infection rate for COVID-19 at its highest level yet, we encourage you to wear a face covering, avoid gatherings and limit non-essential business and personal travel.

While the 4th of July celebrations will be different this year, click here to learn how you can embrace the red, white and blue at virtual and in-person events around Houston.

Thank you to Jonathan "Jonny" Rhodes and his wife, Chana, for distributing meals at Bonham Grocery and to Brighter Bites, the YMCA and the Houston Food Bank for distributing fruits and vegetables at the White Oak Music Hall. You can see the in this newsletter. These are extraordinary efforts to help others during this trying period.

Did you know that Minuteman Press has created a Bounce Back Initiative to assist businesses during the coronavirus pandemic? Read more about it in the article below.

If the District can assist with resources and information or help promote your business, please reach out and let us know. Email us at info@greaternorthsidedistrict.org .

Sincerely,
Rebecca Reyna
Executive Director

#NorthsideStrong 
COVID-19 Updates
Stay safe!
COVID-19 threat level is severe
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo has increased the COVID-19 threat level in the area to red, which means it's severe, and you should stay home.

"The harsh truth is that our current infection rate is on pace to overwhelm our hospitals in the very near future," Judge Hidalgo said. "We hope this serves as a wake-up call to everyone that the time to act is now."

Under the level one threat, you're urged to:
  • Stay home, unless you need to make trips to the grocery store for food and medicine.
  • Avoid and cancel all gatherings of any size.
  • Practice special precautions to prevent spread if you're an essential worker. Check Harris County's guide for more on those workplace safety guidelines.
  • All vulnerable individuals (65+ or with pre-existing health conditions) stay home.
  • Self-quarantine for 14 days if in close-and-prolonged contact with someone who has tested positive with COVID-19.
  • Wear face coverings to protect others.
  • Avoid non-essential business and personal travel.
  • Avoid public transportation where possible.
  • Cancel visits to nursing homes, long-term care facilities and hospitals.
  • Avoid and cancel all indoor and outdoor gatherings, including concerts, rodeos, large sporting events, etc. Schools and after-school activities for youth close, as directed by educational authorities.

On Friday, Governor Greg Abbott ordered all bars in the Lone Star state to close by noon. "At this time, it is clear that the rise in cases is largely driven by certain types of activities, including congregating in bars," Abbott wrote in a statement accompanying the order.

Abbott's executive order also reduces the capacity for restaurants to 50 percent capacity beginning today (Monday, 6/29), requires rafting and tubing businesses to close, and bans outdoor gatherings of 100 people unless approved by local governments.

Bars can still serve takeout orders, including alcoholic drinks, according to the governor's order.
COVID-19 symptoms and tests
COVID-19 symptoms
People with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms reported – ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness. Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. People with these symptoms may have COVID-19:
  • Fever or chills
  • Cough
  • Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
  • Fatigue
  • Muscle or body aches
  • Headache
  • New loss of taste or smell
  • Sore throat
  • Congestion or runny nose
  • Nausea or vomiting
  • Diarrhea

This list does not include all possible symptoms. CDC will continue to update this list as we learn more about COVID-19.

COVID-19 tests
Two kinds of tests are available for COVID-19:  viral tests  and  antibody tests .
  • A viral test tells you if you have a current infection.
  • An antibody test might tell you if you had a past infection. An antibody test might not show if you have a current infection because it can take 1–3 weeks after infection for your body to make antibodies. Having antibodies to the virus that causes COVID-19 might provide protection from getting infected with the virus again. If it does, we do not know how much protection the antibodies might provide or how long this protection might last.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Houston Health Department, agency partners announce free COVID-19 test sites  

The Houston Health Department and its agency partners are offering free COVID-19 tests during the week of June 29.

Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM)
The Texas Division of Emergency Management and the department will open five drive-thru test sites:
  • Hobby Elementary, 4021 Woodmont Dr.
  • NRG Park, Green Lot, 1 Reliant Park
  • HCC – Northeast Campus, 555 Community College Dr.
  • HCC – South Campus, 1990 Airport Blvd.
  • Askew Elementary, 11200 Wood Lodge

TDEM sites require appointments, available by calling 512-883-2400 or visiting  txcovidtest.org .

United Memorial Medical Center (UMMC)
United Memorial Medical Center will continue weekday testing at a drive-thru and walk-up test site at the Southwest Multi-Service Center, 6400 High Star, and a drive-thru site at Houston Community College – Southeast, 6815 Rustic, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The sites do not require appointments and offer testing from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. or until reaching its daily capacity of 250 tests.

Other UMMC sites opening weekdays are:
  • UMMC Tidwell, 510 W Tidwell Rd., 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
  • Forest Brook Middle School, 7525 Tidwell Rd, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
  • Cullen Middle School, 6900 Scott St., 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
  • Griggs School, 801 Regional Park Dr., 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

For information about UMMC test sites, call 1-866-333-COVID or visit  ummcscreening.com . 

Houston Health Department & Community-Based Sites
The department operates two free, drive-thru COVID-19 community-based testing sites open to anyone, regardless of symptoms. Each site has capacity for 500 tests per day.

Days of operation for the sites are Monday through Saturday.

Call the department’s COVID-19 Call Center at 832-393-4220 between 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. to receive an access code and directions to the nearest community-based site.

Federally Qualified Health Centers
The health department is providing test kits, lab access and equipment to four local Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC) so they can expand their COVID-19 testing capacity. The centers and phone numbers people can call to set up testing appointments are: 
  • Spring Branch Community Health Center, 713-462-6565
  • El Centro de Corazon, 713-660-1880
  • Avenue 360 Health and Wellness, 713-426-0027
  • Lone Star Circle of Care at the University of Houston, 346-348-1200
  • Community Health Network, 281-816-3317

FQHC patients pay what they can afford, based on income and family size, and are not denied services due to inability to pay or lack of insurance.

The department and its agency partners may shift locations and schedules of test sites to better meet community needs. Houstonians can visit  HoustonEmergency.org/covid19  for current Houston test sites and information about stopping the spread of the virus.

Information obtained through testing, treatment or services will not be used against immigrants in their public charge evaluation.
Harris County Executive Order
requires facemasks at businesses
and commercial entities
Effective on June 22, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo and Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner announced a new Harris County Executive Order that requires businesses and commercial entities that provide goods or services directly to the public to develop, post and implement a Health and Safety Policy.

This policy must require, at a minimum, that all employees and customers wear a mask while on the premises when in close contact with others.

Click here to read a copy of the Harris County order.
METRO requires facial coverings;
fare collections to resume 
METRO is requiring all riders, employees, contractors and visitors to wear a face covering in METRO vehicles, facilities and transit centers unless impracticable due to a medical condition.

This rule is consistent with Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo's  signed order mandating  that everyone over the age of 10 wear a face covering while in businesses or on commercial properties, including employees, visitors and customers. That order is effective until 11:59 p.m. Tuesday, June 30, unless extended.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) acknowledged that face masks provide a benefit in preventing the spread of the disease. METRO has brochures available on buses and trains with CDC instructions on  how to make your own face coverings , and subject to availability, METRO will provide a mask to customers needing one while riding the system or entering a METRO facility.

Additional protective upgrades are being added to ​buses, trains and METROLift vehicles. Operators and riders will have access to hand sanitizer while on board and protective shields around drivers' seats will provide another layer of separation between operators and riders.

Fare Collection & RideStore Operations to Resume
​METRO will be  returning to fare collection  on July 12. At that time, front-door boarding and exiting will resume; boarding from the rear door will no longer be allowed.

METRO will reopen the  RideStore  at the Downtown Transit Center, 1900 Main Street, on Monday, July 6.
Customers are asked keep the following in mind.
  • Customers will be required to use a designated entrance, wear a mask and undergo a temperature check before entering the RideStore.
  • The mail lobby will be closed to the public.
  • Fare cards can be purchased and reloaded at machines located on rail platforms and buses, at local retailers and online.
  • METRO's Lost & Found Office will be opened.
  • METRO RideStores at Fannin South and 1001 Travis Street remain closed.
  • For answers to common questions about fares (including fare costs, payment methods, where to buy fares and more), please visit METRO's fare collection page.
Harris County Policy signs
If you wish to reprint the Harris County Policy sign(s) for your business, please click here for the English version and for the Spanish version.
Broham Grocery offers free meals
Minuteman Press offers Bounce Back USA initiative to help local businesses
Bounce Back USA is an initiative created by  Minuteman Press  to offer two free services to help support all of our neighboring businesses as we find a way to work together through these unprecedented times.

First, we are distributing a COVID-19 awareness and prevention poster at no charge to any business in our service area. Second, we are providing free local advertising on this site to stimulate business and help all of our neighbors overcome the tremendous economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. We truly believe that a rising tide will lift all ships, and we want to make sure our communities stay afloat.

Order your COVID-19 prevention poster from your local Minuteman Press or International Minute Press shop using the  store finder . We will have them ready to pick-up at our location, contact free if preferred, for your convenience. In the event that local delivery is not possible, a small shipping charge may apply, but the poster will be free.

Once you have found your local store, use the form on the page to submit your company’s special offer or supportive message for publishing on this site at no charge. Just upload your logo and the message or offer, and we’ll publish your message in the appropriate category.

Join the coalition now to show your support and solidarity with the business community in our neighborhood!

How you as a local consumer can help
This website was created as a place for local businesses to advertise their services at no charge. It is designed to help bring the business community together and get our local economy going as quickly as possible. As a local consumer, our economy will bounce back faster if you participate and shop local at these great businesses. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts in supporting all of us. We are in this together and we will bounce back together. Join the coalition now to show your support and solidarity with the business community in our neighborhood!
COVID-19 Survey:
Your participation is needed
The Hobby School of Public Affairs at the University of Houston, entrusted by the Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, is conducting a survey to learn more about its members' experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The survey asks questions about how your business has been affected due to recent policy changes at the national, state and local levels.

The survey takes about 10 minutes to complete. To participate, please click here.
COVID-19 Resource Guide
We have developed a coronavirus guide with links to over 50 websites that provide business, employer and employee resources; coronavirus information; and other resources. This is a useful tool to help our businesses, stakeholders and community with available resources.

To view the guide, click here .
#ShopLocal
#ShopLocalNorthside
#Shop/DineNorthside
at these businesses
Please remember that our Northside restaurants are required
to observe City and County guidelines

www.greaternorthsidedistrict.org