The 'Texas restaurant promise' aimed at helping slow spread of COVID-19

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- In the last two weeks, several Houston restaurants announced temporary closures due to employees contracting COVID-19.

However, restaurants are not obligated to close or required to tell the public someone at their establishment tested positive.

Kelsey Erickson Streufert, the vice president of government relations and advocacy for the Texas Restaurant Association, said many restaurant owners are going above and beyond the state's minimum health requirements and publicly announcing any positive test results for transparency reasons.

"The CDC specifically says that a business will rarely need to close down for an extended amount of time for a COVID case," Erickson said. "It's really just about getting that thorough cleaning and disinfection, which, of course, restaurants and businesses can do at night when they are closed anyway, then again to make sure all their employees are screened so that way, anyone with any kind of symptoms either has to quarantine or get tested."

She said restaurants are regulated by its local health department and inspected regularly. The Texas Restaurant Association also released guidelines called, 'The Texas Restaurant Promise.'

It's a sign owners can post at the entrance of their restaurant showing what the staff is doing to meet the health and safety standards, which is based off CDC recommendations.