Houston confronts one-two punch of COVID-19 and oil bust

HOUSTON (AP) — When you’re known as the energy capital of the world, oil busts are nothing new. But Houston now finds itself in uncharted territory — grappling with an oil downturn in the middle of a pandemic.

Like in other cities, the coronavirus has shut down much of Houston’s economic activity, slashing thousands of jobs as well as sales tax revenues. Mayor Sylvester Turner expects a city budget deficit of about $200 million, the worst in the history of this city of more than 2.3 million, the country's fourth largest.

At the same time, the price of oil plunged below zero in April as demand plummeted due to the worldwide lockdown to stop the virus' spread. For some companies in the local oil sector — which accounts for a third of Houston’s economy — bankruptcy is all but inevitable.

This one-two punch from COVID-19 and oil prices will make it much harder for Houston to recover from a looming recession, according to economists.

“Tough times have been seen many, many times before and these are going to be particularly tough times,” said Bill Gilmer, director of the Institute for Regional Forecasting at the University of Houston.

Those tough times will also be felt by other local businesses, including restaurants, which are boosted by the energy industry.

“You don’t think a cake maker is going to care about the price of oil. In Houston, they do,” said Jon Rosenthal, who was laid off from his energy sector job during the 2015-16 downturn, when his favorite bakery closed.

For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness.

The dramatic drop in oil prices in the...