As the pandemic spread across the country, Houston City Council held its first meeting related to coronavirus. City council members discussed measures that had to be taken to curb the spread of the disease. Remote work was believed to be the best thing to promote social distancing within the city. It was agreed that most workers should go online, and while the department will be open in times of crisis, visitors should make an appointment. The stimulus package passed by the Senate was discussed; the members of the Council agreed that it was necessary to get it to the people as fast as possible. Another measure discussed at the meeting was how many people were allowed to visit department stores, chemists and barbers at the same time. It was found that for small shops, three to four people were the maximum number.
The issue of medical supplies was discussed at the meeting as well. The city raised funds to buy necessary medicine; some non-urgent medical procedures were to be canceled in case too many people with coronavirus needed hospital treatment. City council members highlighted the problem of the homeless who got their food from specialized city services (Houston city council meeting on the first day of orders related to coronavirus). The people stood in line to get their food, which made it easy for the coronavirus to be transferred. New regulations were adopted to make people stand apart while waiting for food. The arrangement of people within metro buses was discussed; it was found that metro buses had too many people in them. It was decided to warn citizens against traveling by metro if possible and use private transport. The pandemic increased domestic violence since many people had to stay at home with their abusers. The City Council decided that shelters for victims of abuse should be left open. Moreover, many organizations launched online consultations for victims of domestic violence.
Reference
Houston city council meeting on the first day of orders related to coronavirus. YouTube.