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Houston Business Barometer Week 5: More than Half of Companies Making Plans to Reopen

Published May 05, 2020 by A.J. Mistretta

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Local companies that had shuttered operations in response to the coronavirus pandemic are making plans to reopen in the days and weeks ahead, according to a new survey from the Greater Houston Partnership. 

Just 3% of companies surveyed this week said they had completely resumed operations in the days since Governor Greg Abbott’s order went into effect allowing certain sectors to reopen. Another 16% say they have resumed partial operations while 10% say they plan to reopen within 2 weeks. Roughly 24% say they are not planning to reopen in the near future and nearly half of respondents say their companies never shut down.  

More than 31% of responding companies said they are currently developing a plan to reopen while 22% say they have a plan and are preparing to execute it. Another 38% said they didn’t shut down or reduce operations enough to require a reopen plan. 

Asked what elements of their business they might reassess in response to their COVID-19 experience, the top three answers among respondents were: telecommuting practices, technology needs and their relationship with customers. 

When asked about their company’s short-term outlook this week compared to last 28% indicated it’s gotten better, 15% said it’s gotten worse and 57.1% say there’s been no change. Thirty-five percent say the pandemic response has severely impacted their business while another 43% say the impact on their operations has been moderate. 

A total of 106 companies responded to the fifth Houston Business Barometer survey conducted by the Partnership between May 4 and 5. 

See results from Week 4
 

Get information and guidelines on reopening businesses safely from the Partnership's Houston Work Safe Program. Visit the Partnership's COVID-19 Resource page for updates, guidance for employers and more information.

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