Information for Businesses & Employers

Thank you for visiting the DSHS COVID-19 Information for Businesses & Employers page. This page offers many resources to help keep your organization safe.

Below are two links with helpful information. The first links to our state’s health recommendations that outline suggested protocols for safe operation. The second links to DSHS tools that can help you communicate safety messages to your colleagues and customers.
Health Recommendations Communication Tools

Read on for letters outlining when employees can return to work after illness. Then see general DSHS guidance, plus retail food business guidance and general guidance from the CDC.

DSHS Letters to Employers

State agencies, business owners, employers, and members of the general public can also find workplace-specific recommendations in the following:

• Letter to Texas Employers (ENGLISH) (PDF, V.3.0, released 7/23/2020)
• Letter to Texas Employers (SPANISH) (PDF, V.3.0, released 7/24/2020)

General DSHS Guidance

Employers and employees can find information on mail handling and preventing the spread of COVID-19 in the DSHS Interim Guidance for Mail Handling (PDF, V.2.0, updated 5/23/2020).

Those needing to execute documents that require in-person signatures can find recommendations and best practices in the DSHS Interim Guidance for Executing Documents (PDF, V.2.0, released 5/14/2020).

Note: DSHS is seeking approval for waivers of certain DSHS program requirements in response to COVID‑19. Check the DSHS‑Related Waivers page for a current listing of active waivers.

Retail Food Businesses

The DSHS Consumer Protection Division has compiled the following guidance for business and industry in response to COVID‑19:

• Retail Foods:
• Guidance Regarding Sale of Restaurant-Prepared Food Products in Grocery Stores (PDF)
• Guidance for Retail Food Establishments (PDF)
• Food Retail Sales and Donations Guidance (PDF)
• Guidance for Farmers' Markets (PDF)
• U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA):
• Food Safety and the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID‑19)
• COVID‑19–Related Guidance Documents for Industry, FDA Staff, and Other Stakeholders
• Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID‑19) Frequently Asked Questions – Food Products
• FDA Briefing for Foods Stakeholders on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID‑19) Recording Held March 18, 2020
• Best Practices for Retail Food Stores, Restaurants, and Food Pick‑Up/Delivery Services During the COVID‑19 Pandemic

General CDC Guidance

Businesses, employers, and employees can also find interim guidance for the COVID‑19 response on the CDC website:

• CDC Resources for Businesses & Employers
• CDC Interim Guidance for Employers with Workers at High Risk
• CDC Reopening Guidance for Cleaning and Disinfecting Public Spaces, Workplaces, Businesses, Schools, and Homes
• CDC Recommendations for Disinfecting Your Facility if Someone is Sick
• CDC Guidance for Critical Infrastructure Workers
• CDC Guidance for Mail & Parcel Delivery Drivers
• CDC Guidance for Meat/Poultry Processing Facilities
• CDC Testing Strategy for COVID-19 in High-Density Critical Infrastructure Workplaces