By Stacey Cormican

Beginning Friday, April 24, 2020, non-essential retail businesses in Texas ordered to shut down during the COVID-19 may reopen to provide "retail-to-go" under the governor's latest order. These retail businesses may offer their products through pick-up, delivery, and by mail. However, they must comply with specific DSHS rules to do so. 

The rules non-essential businesses must follow in providing "retail-to-go" are:

For Employees:

• Train all employees on environmental cleaning and disinfection, hand hygiene, and respiratory etiquette. 
• Screen all employees before they come in the business for
  • new or worsening cough,
  • shortness of breath,
  • sore throat,
  • loss of taste or smell,
  • feverish feeling or temp 100.0 F or above, or
  • close contact with any person lab-confirmed as COVID-19 positive. 

          Employees who meet any of these criteria must be sent home.

• Require all employees to wash or sanitize hands upon entering the business and wear face coverings and remain six feet apart.

To provide customer pick-ups:

• Accept payments by phone or the internet, if possible. If not possible, minimize contact with customers during payment.
• Deliver items to the backseat or trunk of a customer's vehicle whenever possible.
• Have employees wash or sanitize hands after each pick-up and, whenever possible, disinfect any item that came into contact with a customer. (Such as payment devices, etc.)

To provide delivery:

• Accept payments by phone or the internet, if possible. If not possible, minimize contact with customers during payment.
• Deliver items to the customer's doorstep and do not enter the customer's home or business.

To provide items by mail:

• Accept payments by phone or the internet.
• Deliver packages in a manner that doesn't require customer contact (i.e., don't require a signature for delivery).

The most difficult rule for most employers may be that employees must remain six feet apart while working. Practically, this may mean employers will only be able to bring back portions of their regular staff to work.

Read the Governor's executive order here.
Download the DSHS guidance below.