NEDERLAND, Texas — Over the past four months, many restaurants have closed either as a precaution or because an employee tested positive for COVID-19.
But is it a requirement to shut down?
The answer is no.
Last month, Anita Nguyen closed the doors of the Golden Croissant in Nederland for a week after hearing an employee may have been exposed.
"Health and safety was our top priority," Nguyen said. "There really wasn't much out there on what to do specifically for restaurants."
She quickly made the decision to temporarily close the facility and clean it before reopening.
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"They weren't very clear, they said you honestly don't have to close," Nguyen said.
She's referencing the CDC guidelines for restaurants that have an employee test positive or believe to have been exposed to coronavirus.
According to the CDC, there's no rule requiring restaurants to close following a positive test.
The closest thing it mentions to a shut down is closing off the area where the employee worked and thoroughly cleaning it, which is simply a recommendation.
However, an email written by a Jefferson County employee was leaked to 12News raising questions about the guidance restaurant owners are receiving.
The employee claims restaurants who have a positive case are told to contact the Port Arthur epidemiologist.
Yet, the epidemiologist has reportedly recently told two Nederland restaurants to close for 2 weeks.
In the email sent to county officials, the employee says one of the restaurants looked for clarification from the city manager while another talked about getting lawyers involved.
12News spoke with Lacy Brown, Port Arthur's chief sanitarian, over the phone Wednesday.
"They are recommended to shut down, just long enough to clean and sanitize the areas where those employees were," Brown said.
She confirmed restaurants do have to notify Martha Simien (Port Arthur epidemiologist) or Judith Smith (Port Arthur health director) if any of their employees do test positive.
But, she replied with "Oh no, we're not" when asked if they are requiring businesses to shut down because of a positive case.
Brown tells 12News the only requirements for restaurants are those in accordance with state and local laws, which for Southeast Texas is all employees and customers must wear a mask and remain six feet apart whenever possible.
The employee at the Golden Croissant ended up testing negative, but Nguyen says the decision to close was easy even if not required.
"We thought it was just be best to be transparent because we didn't want people to find out that someone did test positive and you didn't do anything about it and take the safety of your customers seriously," Nguyen said.
Customers tell 12News they appreciate the transparency.
"I'm glad, I think they handled it well," Mandy Arceneaux said.
Some, like Aron Arceneaux, feel closing the doors should be required.
"They should shut down if someone does test positive. I think that's necessary that they should," Aron told 12News.
Both say they are happy with the honesty of local businesses thus far during the pandemic.
"I don't have any issues with local businesses and how they'e been handling the COVID-19 situation," Mandy said.
"We always try to support local as much as we can," Aron added.
