HOUSTON — A circus has opened its doors in north Houston and some people are wondering how they’re making it work during the COVID-19 pandemic. Houston Fire Chief Sam Pena says they are not breaking any laws.
Pena said they’ve gotten some questions about the circus that opened shop in north Houston in the middle of the pandemic. According to Pena, the circus is not breaking any laws and the city is working closely with them to ensure they keep everyone safe.
Circo Hermanos Vázquez is located on I-45 North and Airline Road. It opened up earlier this month and it's a very popular circus in the Hispanic community.
“The word circus does not appear in the governor's order so we had to interpret what the spirit of that order meant and how it applied to this circus,” Pena said.
That's why Pena says they’ve issued the circus a temporary tent order. The city asked the circus to remain at a 50% capacity to socially distance people inside and outside the tent. Only 500 guests are allowed inside.
A circus representative said they’ve worked with city officials before and they’ve been coming to Houston for 20 years. The lot they’re set up on is actually owned by the circus.
”We started conversations back in June we started seeing different procedures. And what we made sure that we had a permit from the fire department and health department,” said Ignacio Guzman, a representative of Circo Hermanos Vázquez.
Circus rules:
- Families are allowed to sit together. But they need to be 6 feet apart from groups and in between rows.
- Masks are required indoors.
- Ushers will dismiss people row by row.
- The circus must disinfect common areas.
“Even as we treat it as an outdoor venue ... they can operate ... and depending on the parameters, we would have no jurisdiction. If it’s an amusement park they can still open at 50% capacity. We tried to pick the most conservative approach to this venue,” Pena said.
The Harris County Fire Marshal's Office said they've received three complaints within the last month. Pena said there is an inspector on-site every day and they have not seen any issues. We have reached out to the governor’s office for a comment but have not heard back from them.