Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, on Tuesday called on businesses in the Houston area not to comply with guidelines for closing the coronavirus, which he says have no basis in the U.S. Constitution.
The harsh words come in response to the Department of Health Services’ recommendation to close bars in Houston, while restaurants and other businesses should reduce occupancy because COVID-19 patients have 15% of the beds available for seven consecutive days.
Crenshaw said businesses “absolutely must not” comply with these closure measures.
“Closures are not supported by law, they are unconstitutional orders,” Crenshaw tweeted. “Law enforcement should not enforce it. Stop stealing the right of people to make a living.”
The words of the congressman come because the Houston area averages more than 3,300 COVID-19 cases per day, which according to the Houston Chronicle is significantly higher than the approximately 2,330 cases per day during the pandemic’s peak during the summer.
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William McKeon, chief executive of the Texas Medical Center, told the newspaper that the next two months “will be our darkest days, given these record numbers.”
“Hospitals are lagging behind by experiencing the effects of increases in cases, so expect the numbers to go in the wrong direction before it gets better,” he said.
According to Sunday, there were more than 12,500 Texans admitted to the hospital with COVID-19, which according to official estimates was an increase of 240 people from the previous day.
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“The numbers are rising. Everything is going in the wrong direction – new cases, hospitalizations and the rate of positivity,” says Dr. Peter Hotez of Baylor University College of Medicine, according to local news station KHOU.
Hotez noted that he expects many businesses to close temporarily.
“Whether we can interrupt the transmission of viruses or not, and restore our city or country to something that seems normal, depends on how quickly we can vaccinate our population,” he added.
Fox News’ Madeline Farber Contributed to This Report.