The City of Odessa is issuing a shelter-in-place order, beginning Monday at 11:59 p.m.
Odessa’s Mayor David Turner made the announcement over the weekend on Facebook Live. Turner based Odessa’s shelter-in-place order largely on recommendations made by the Department of Homeland Security—especially when deciding which businesses are critical and would be allowed to stay open.
Odessa follows a growing list of Texas cities and counties that have issued similar orders, including Marfa. The shelter-in-place order requires nonessential businesses to close, which Turner says includes person-to-person services. Here's a list of some of those businesses:
- Hair and nail salons
- Barbershops
- tattoo parlor
- Piercing businesses
- Tanning salons
- Gyms/fitness centers
- food courts.
Under the order, businesses deemed essential would remain open. That includes anything related to healthcare, as well as businesses like grocery stores and laundromats. Hardware stores, banks and gas stations are also among those businesses that are exempt. The list of essential businesses Turner laid out is extensive and not as restrictive as the shelter-in-place orders coming out of other Texas cities. Here's a partial list of businesses considered essential:
- Healthcare
- Energy industry businesses
- grocery stores
- Pawnshops
- Lawn maintenance businesses
- Car Dealerships
- Hotels/motels
The news of the shelter-in-place order came after the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Ector County rose to five.
