COVID-19

Governor Abbott’s Executive Order GA-14

“Essential services” shall consist of everything listed by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in its Guidance on the Essential Critical Infrastructure Workforce, Version 2.0, plus religious services conducted in churches, congregations, and houses of worship. Other essential services may be added to this list with the approval of the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM). TDEM shall maintain an online list of essential services, as specified in this executive order and in any approved additions. Requests for additions should be directed to TDEM at EssentialServices@tdem.texas.gov or by visiting www.tdem.texas.gov/essentialservices. 

In providing or obtaining essential services, people and businesses should follow the Guidelines from the President and the CDC by practicing good hygiene, environmental cleanliness, and sanitation, implementing social distancing, and working from home if possible. In particular, all services should be provided through remote telework from home unless they are essential services that cannot be provided through remote telework. If religious services cannot be conducted from home or through remote services, they should be conducted consistent with the Guidelines from the President and the CDC by practicing good hygiene, environmental cleanliness, and sanitation, and by implementing social distancing to prevent the spread of COVID-19.  

In accordance with the Guidelines from the President and the CDC, people shall avoid eating or drinking at bars, restaurants, and food courts, or visiting gyms, massage establishments, tattoo studios, piercing studios, or cosmetology salons; provided, however, that the use of drive-thru, pickup, or delivery options for food and drinks is allowed and highly encouraged throughout the limited duration of this executive order. 

This executive order does not prohibit people from accessing essential services or engaging in essential daily activities, such as going to the grocery store or gas station, providing or obtaining other essential services, visiting parks, hunting or fishing, or engaging in physical activity like jogging or bicycling, so long as the necessary precautions are maintained to reduce the transmission of COVID- 19 and to minimize inperson contact with people who are not in the same household.

In accordance with the Guidelines from the President and the CDC, people shall not visit nursing homes, state supported living centers, assisted living facilities, or long-term care facilities unless to provide critical assistance as determined through guidance from the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. In accordance with the Guidelines from the President and the CDC, schools shall remain temporarily closed to in-person classroom attendance and shall not recommence before May 4, 2020.

What is an essential worker?

Harris County has announced all cities in the county (that includes Pasadena) must follow the Federal Government’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency guidelines for the "Safe-at-Home/Work-Safe Order". (Updated March 28, 2020)

DSHS COVID-19 Call Center

Texas Department of State Health Services has a dedicated call center to answer your COVID-19 related questions or concerns. The call center is available Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. For more information, please call 1-877-570-9779. 

Harris County Department of Health

The site is open to any pre-screened individuals in the greater Houston area, including those outside of Harris County.

Cost: free
Pre-screening required? Yes
832-927-7575
https://covidcheck.hctx.net/ 

Got COVID-19 questions? 

Call the non-emergency information line at 2-1-1 or go to: www.211texas.org

Transportation RIDES Program

The Transportation Rides Program is temporarily suspending taking any new applicants at this time, until further notice, as well as renewing applicants that are not already current clients, who have previously been removed from the program and want to re-apply.

If current clients need to reach the Transportation Rides Program for any other reason they can call the Mayor’s Action Line and their call will be returned by the Transportation Rides Program at their earliest convenience.

The RIDES re-certification is extended from April 15 till June 1, 2020. 

Cards will NOT be cut off for non-usage at this time until the Stay at Home orders are lifted. The cards will be re-loaded as usual and that will be between the 1st and the 8th of each month.

If your balance is too low and you need additional assistance to get to the grocery store or to the pharmacies for medicine please call our offices. Requests will be handled on a one by one basis.

Drivers will refuse service to anyone having flu like symptoms. If you need to go to the hospital for treatment, you will need to call EMS/ambulance to take you to the hospital. The Rides program drivers cannot take you.

Yellow Taxi/Pasadena Taxi want you to know that all taxi drivers are wearing company provided masks and gloves. They disinfect the car after each ride, using a commercial grad disinfectant also company provided, before picking up the next ride.

Taxi’s are inspected daily for cleanliness and drivers are given incentives at the end of each week to keep their car interiors clean each day of the week.

Waste Management

Waste Management Encourages Continued Recycling
Recyclable Materials Needed for Manufacturing Supply Chain to
Produce Packaging for Grocery and Medical Supplies

Facial tissues, toilet paper, hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes have been flying off store shelves, while families are spending more hours at home to stay healthy and safe during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. Waste Management (WM) is calling on everyone to Recycle Right during this time when recyclables are needed more than ever. Recycling is vitally important to our environment, and it has come to play a critical role in certain manufacturing supply chains. Without recyclable materials collected from homes and businesses, our customers, who produce products such as tissue, toweling and packaging boxes for grocery and medical supplies, would not have the raw materials that they need to manufacture these important items. Recycling is an essential service for manufacturing companies delivering these key products.

Most recyclers don’t think about the importance of placing their clean recyclable materials in their bins, but now it is more important than ever, as recyclable products are playing a critical role for manufacturing businesses.   Across Texas, people are generating more household garbage and recyclable materials than usual, and manufacturers are in need of more clean recyclable materials to meet their demands for making basic goods and emergency supplies. We can all do our part by recycling right during these challenging times.

To learn more information about Waste Management Recycle Right tips, please visit https://wm.com/us/en/inside-wm/recycle-right

RECYCLE ONLY CLEAN, DRY AND LOOSE:

• Cardboard (without inside packing materials)
• Paper products including newspapers, junk mail, office/school paper
• Paperboard, such as cereal and cracker boxes
• Plastic bottles and jugs
• Steel, tin and aluminum cans

THROW AWAY:

• Plastic, latex and cloth disposable gloves, disposable masks
• Liquid soap and hand sanitizer bottles that contain residue
• Disinfectant wipes
• Facial tissues, napkins and paper towels
• Disposable plates, cups and cutlery
• Takeout containers
• Leftover food and liquids
• Plastic bags and plastic film wrap
• Hoses, cords, polystyrene foam and other packaging

In addition, several leading industry organizations have weighed in calling for increased recycling to meet the needed demand during this time, including:  

• The American Forest and Paper Association
• The Association of Plastic Recyclers
• The Institute of Scrap Metal Recyclables
• The Recycling Partnership

As always, your staff may continue to submit your daily service-related requests directly to WM.  Once again, our dedicated email box for your staff’s daily service requests is customersrvc@wm.com.