Businesses weigh reopening - or close again - as cases rise

It’s not the reopening businesses were hoping for.

After months of shutdown, restaurants, stores and even amusement parks announced their reopening with fanfare. But now that states like Texas and Arizona are seeing alarming surges in reported cases of COVID-19, businesses large and small must decide whether to keep their doors open.

In some cases, governments are pausing their reopening plans. On Friday, Texas and Arizona shut down bars except for takeout and scaled back restaurant dining capacity. Florida banned alcohol consumption at bars.

But many businesses had already taken those steps on their own, saying rising case numbers and shifting advice from state and local governments did not give them the confidence to stay open.

The Kolache Factory, which has 27 bakeries mostly in the Houston area, opened dining rooms for two weeks before shutting them down June 19 and returning to takeout and delivery. Chief Operating Officer Dawn Nielsen was getting mixed signals from Harris County — which required masks — and the state of Texas, which didn’t.

“It’s a scary time. At some point you just have to grab the reins of the horse and say, ‘I just have to make the decision myself and not wait for someone else to mandate what I have to do,’” Nielsen said.

Lei Low Rum and Tiki Bar in Houston reopened its 60-seat dining room at 50% capacity on June 10. But managing owner Russell Thoede said patrons didn’t always observe safety measures, like staying seated and wearing masks. On June 18, Thoede closed the bar again and restarted takeout cocktail kits. His employees were relieved, he said.

Apple, which started reopening its stores May 11, has closed at least 32 stores in hot spots like Florida and Texas. Best Buy, which opened most of its 1,000 stores last...