BEAUMONT, Texas — As more of Texas reopens, business owners face new worries.
What else can they do to protect employees and customers?
"Because we are starting to open up the economy and open up businesses... it doesn't mean we stop doing what we learned to do."
The state has partially reopened. Gov. Abbott announced that retail stores, restaurants and other businesses can start allowing customers in.
For the first time in weeks, people can sit down in restaurant dining room and shop inside clothing stores.
There are still guidelines to follow to keep the spread of COVID-19 at bay.
"When you go to a restaurant you want to make sure they are wiping down the tables and chairs and cleaning well and disinfecting areas."
Doctor Gary Mennie, Chief Medical Officer and the Medical Center of Southeast Texas says our six-county region has done fairly well compared to places like Harris County.
But he says it's important to stay on guard.
RELATED: Parkdale Mall set to reopen Friday
"It just takes one person from Harris County to come here and infect someone or from any county for that matter and then the cycle begins as we just now opened up the economy. So that's that second wave they are sort of talking about," Mennie said.
Bethany Eldred works at a store inside Parkdale Mall. She says what she saw over the weekend was concerning.
"We were told that customers would only be coming in and out through the main entrance but all the doors were open. So there was quite a lot of foot traffic in the mall. Especially foot traffic from people without masks on," Eldred said. "And people not social distancing. We aren't seeing housekeeping around the mall that much."
Dr. Mennie says it's important that these open businesses adhere to the guidelines.
"Again, it's all about good hygiene. It's cleaning the surfaces we commonly touch. Washing your hands and my preference is when I go out anywhere in public I wear a mask," Mennie said.
12News reached out to Parkdale Mall management for a response to the cleaning concerns and about people not social distancing. So far, we haven't heard back.
