DSHS Releases Shopping Guidelines As Texas Slowly Reopens

SAN ANGELO, TX – As the state begins re-opening businesses, the Department of Health and Human Services has issued the following guidelines for employers, employees, and customers of retail stores.

These guidelines have been issued to ensure the safety of customers and employees as the state slowly returns to typical shopping  practices. This guidance does not apply to businesses considered essential.

Employees

• All employees must be trained on environmental cleaning and disinfection, hand hygiene, and respiratory etiquette.
• Upon entering the business, employees must wash or sanitize hands.
• All employees must wear face coverings
• Employees must maintain at least 6 feet separation from one another.
• All employees must be screened before coming into the business for new or worsening cough; shortness of breath; sore throat; loss of taste or smell; feeling feverish or a measured temperature greater than or equal to 100.0 degrees Fahrenheit; or known close contact with a person who is lab-confirmed to have COVID-19. Any employee who meets any of these criteria should be sent home.

Customers

• Customers may purchase items from a retail location for pickup, delivery by mail, or delivery to the customer’s doorstep, but may not enter the premises.
• The customer should wash or sanitize their hands after the transaction.

Retail To-Go

• All payments should be done over the phone or internet if possible, and contact should be minimized if remote payment is not available.
• Purchased items should be delivered by the employee to the backseat or trunk of the customer’s vehicle whenever possible to minimize physical contact with the customer.
• Employees must wash or sanitize their hands after each interaction with a customer, and whenever possible, must disinfect any item that came into contact with the customer.

Retail Delivery

• All payments should be done over the phone or internet if possible, and contact should be minimized if remote payment is not available.
• Purchased items should be delivered by an employee or third-party carrier and delivered to the customer’s doorstep.
• The employee or third-party carrier may not enter the customer’s house or business.

Retail by Mail

• All payments must be done over the phone or internet.
• Purchased items should be delivered by mail without customer contact.