Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo issued a stay-at-home order Tuesday closing most businesses and directing residents to stay put, except for groceries and errands in the latest measure aimed at slowing the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The order was to take effect at 11:59 p.m. Tuesday and expire April 3.

Workers in the energy, transportation, construction and food service industries are among those allowed to remain on the job, she said.

The county judge said she was heeding the warnings of health experts, who for days said a mandatory order limiting public interactions was necessary to prevent Houston hospitals from being overwhelmed with cases. The World Health Organization on Tuesday warned the United States is at risk of becoming the global epicenter of the pandemic.

“What these experts and leaders tell us is that if we keep going at the rate we are going, we will end up in the situation that New York is heading towards, that Italy is at, where we simply run out of ICU space,” Hidalgo said.

Italy has reported more than 6,000 deaths; New York is the center of the American outbreak and scrambling to find beds for coronavirus patients.

The rules are the strictest Harris County has enacted in the two whirlwind weeks since the first locally transmitted case was discovered. Thirteen days ago, local officials wondered whether shutting down the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo was too drastic a step.

They since have shuttered schools and universities, canceled concerts and sporting events, closed bars and limited restaurants to takeout and delivery, in an effort to contain the rapid spread of the disease.

The new stay-at-home restrictions mirror those in other major cities. Mayor Sylvester Turner said the order was difficult to issue but local government could not wait.

“The goal we have in the city of Houston is that we don’t have 2,400 cases or 24,000 cases,” Turner said. “We don’t have the luxury of waiting two weeks down the road and then deciding this is the time to take these steps.”

Still, Hidalgo admitted Tuesday the order may not drastically change things for everyone. The most significant addition to restrictions already in effect is the mandated closure of businesses the county does not consider essential.

“The message, in many ways, is the same: Stay home,” Hidalgo said. “But we know we've had a lot of people out and about that don't need to be. So this is, this is us being very clear. This is not a ‘pretty please’ anymore. But again, we're not a police state, so everyone needs to do their part.”

Hidalgo signed the order Tuesday afternoon, about six hours after her announcement. The nine-page document requires residents to remain at home unless performing “essential activities,” including securing food or supplies, looking after relatives and pets, exercising or working in an essential industry.

Public or private gatherings of any kind, beyond immediate family members or roommates, are prohibited. The homeless are exempt from the order but “strongly urged to obtain shelter” and remain six feet apart from any other person.

In all circumstances in public, residents should stay six feet away from each other. If a resident tests positive for the virus, their whole household will be ordered to remain at home.

The order uses Department of Homeland Security guidelines to determine what businesses to keep open. Those deemed necessary to the operations and maintenance of all 16 sectors on the federal government’s list are exempt.

Supermarkets, box retailers, pharmacies, laundromats, liquor stores, mail and shipping services, child and adult care centers, medical facilities, veterinary clinics, gas stations and hardware stores may remain open, among many other businesses.

Barber shops, nail salons, gyms, swimming pools, tattoo parlors, spas, cinemas, bowling alleys, outdoor flea markets and indoor shopping centers must close.

Churches will be limited to online-only services, though pastors still may minister to congregants individually. Parks will remain open, except for high-traffic areas like playgrounds and basketball courts.

Workers in the energy industry, as well as at the Port of Houston, which Turner said are crucial to the local economy, will be allowed to remain on the job. Construction workers also are exempt.

All businesses remaining open must implement social distancing rules.

Local governments will continue to function and provide essential services, including law enforcement, street maintenance and trash collection.

Hidalgo said police are prepared to enforce the order, with violations punishable through fines or jail time, though she urged officers to use discretion and residents to follow the rules.

Hidalgo’s order was modeled in part after a similar measure in Dallas County. Many of Texas’ largest counties, including Bexar, Tarrant and Travis, issued similar stay-at-home orders Monday and Tuesday in a largely coordinated effort between mayors and county judges. Fort Bend and Galveston counties also have issued stay-at-home orders.

Gov. Greg Abbott over the weekend declined to issue a statewide stay-at-home directive, but said cities and counties were free to do so.

Harris County’s new rules were not met with universal acclaim. State Sen. Paul Bettencourt, a frequent critic of local government, said it was unnecessary and would do lasting harm to small and medium-sized businesses. He said compliance with social distancing recommendations by the public has been “quite high.”

“Taking sweeping action against … the backbone of our local economy with a shelter in place order eliminates the chance to take a targeted, measured, data-driven approach to achieve better social separation results and far less economic disruption,” Bettencourt said in a statement.

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Houston Councilwoman Amy Peck criticized the county’s slow release of the order, tweeting, “There are thousands of people on edge waiting to see if they have jobs tomorrow.”

Hidalgo said the message from health care experts was urgent, so she felt it was better to announce the order in the morning — before the full document was ready — to give people time to prepare while attorneys ironed out the final language.

“We know from the health care professionals that this couldn't wait another day,” she said.

Asked about Bettencourt’s statement, Hidalgo drew a distinction between shutdown orders and the one issued in Harris County Tuesday.

“The recommendation they’ve made so far, what the data tells us so far, it’s not that we have to shut down the county or the city or Houston,” Hidalgo said. “It’s that we have to stay home, stay home and allow essential businesses to continue.”

Shortly after Hidalgo announced the order, Montgomery County Judge Mark Keough, a Republican, said he would not follow suit. A sliver of Houston extends into Montgomery County, as well as Fort Bend County.

“I believe they mean well and I believe they are trying to do the right thing for their people, but the fact of the matter is they have so many exemptions in (their order) that we have already allowed for,” Keough said. “To add additional orders on top of that to restrict us in more of our freedom (is) not what we are doing in Montgomery County.”

Dylan McGuinness and Nicole Hensley contributed to this report.

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