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Houston is expecting to re-implement their lockdown procedures. While the city has opened to the public, it has seen a large increase in COVID-19 related cases and test results.

The city is currently 75% open. This is to allow small businesses to continue operations while maintaining safety protocols. Unfortuantely a sharp increase in cases has forced many city officials to re-instate its lockdown.

“We’ve had the highest hospitalization number this Monday. It’s only grown from there,” says  Lina Hidalgo, the Harris County judge. “The numbers we’re seeing are very significant.”

Hidalgo is the top official for the county’s residents. Along with Hidalgo, many city health officials have pushed for the lockdown to be reinstated.

Dr. Jeremy Finklestein a Houston emergency medical specialist had this to add:

“We’ve already uncorked the genie. We got our wish, which was to end the home quarantine orders, and now we’re seeing people treat that as if COVID-19 is no longer an issue — and that’s far from the fact.”

These increases come as the city has lifted many requirement to keep its citizens safe.

Lockdown Speculation Increases

While many businesses have started to see improvement financially, health concerns are starting to come forward. The city has seen its highest spike in cases. The state of Texas now has 88,000 current infections with 55,000 recoveries.

Texas isn’t the only one seeing the impact of a full reopening. In Florida, beaches are reopening and small shops are catering to customers. Unfortunately for the Sunshine State, they too have seen a drastic spike in confirmed cases.

Houston is now considered “Code Orange” which is not good news for the nations fourth-largest city. A “code orange” means there is an uncontrolled level of spread throughout the city.

For businesses, this is bad news, for the public at large, this can be far worse. While the climate is one of caution, many feel they should be open regardless. The impact can drastically take lives. The economy has also played bad hands. Many businesses are searching for ways to reopen. Having the right safety protocols will help to achieve this.

The US is staggeringly battling the virus, but with projections reaching 170,000 COVID-19 related deaths, the question remains. “When will this be over?” Some experts say that the timeline is indefinite.