COSA, Bexar County Impose Thanksgiving Weekend Curfew to Curb Spread of COVID-19
November 25, 2020 - San Antonio
Holiday Curfews. San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg and Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff amended public health orders in order to impose a mandatory curfew for residents. Courtesy Image: City of San Antonio.
By B. Kay Richter, Reporter, San Antonio Sentinel
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:
- San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg and Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff amended public health orders this evening in order to impose a mandatory curfew for residents.
- Under the new curfew, residents of the city and county are prohibited from gathering outside of their households during these evening and early morning hours.
San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg and Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff amended public health orders this evening in order to impose a mandatory curfew for residents. The curfew will be implemented during the hours of 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., effective on Thursday, Nov. 26 and ending Monday, Nov. 30.
Under the new curfew, residents of the city and county are prohibited from gathering outside of their households during these evening and early morning hours. The only exception to the curfew would be those seeking services from local businesses. Violations of the city curfew are punishable by up to a $1,000 fine.
Local restaurants and eateries are also required to close for dining after 10 p.m. through 6 a.m. beginning Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 26. However, restaurants can continue to offer drive-thru, curbside or takeout services after the imposed 10 p.m. curfew until the Nov. 30 expiration.
City and county officials all point to the last two holiday weekends where dramatic surges in the Covid health crisis occurred.
RELATED: City of San Antonio Alerts Residents to COVID-19 Surge
“The last two surges in cases followed holiday weekends; in this case, the numbers are already increasing exponentially, so the Judge and I decided to impose a curfew to limit the spread over the Thanksgiving holiday,” said Mayor Nirenberg. “We are counting on each and every San Antonian to take personal responsibility for protecting themselves and others.”
Judge Wolff also agreed that the county needed to take steps to address the issue head on.
“This curfew isn’t about specific places, it is about people’s behaviors. We know that household gatherings are taking place. We know that as it gets later into the evening, people’s behaviors change,” Wolff said in a press release. “They let their guard down, they take their masks off, they get a little closer than they should. This is when the virus passes from one to another. This limited curfew is aimed to help reduce the impact on our hospital system. We encourage everyone to play it safe this holiday weekend and don’t let your guard down.”
The amended order may be found here: https://covid19.sanantonio.gov/files/assets/public/files/about/11th-addendum-to-the-8th-declaration-of-public-health-emergency.pdf
While Mayor Nirenberg did note the city currently sits in the middle of a COVID surge with 1,032 cases reported on Wednesday - he said he did not think the curfew would be extended beyond the holiday weekend. Both Nirenberg and Wolff did caution that if actions over the holiday led to an increased positivity rate then further stay-at-home measures would most likely be imposed for future dates.
Here are the local Covid-19 numbers as of 7 p.m. Wednesday (Nov. 25):
76,750 total cases, 1,032 new cases
1,343 deaths, six new deaths
543 in hospital, 12% beds available
175 patients in intensive care
88 patients on ventilators, 66% ventilators available
For more information visit covid19.sanantonio.gov.
B. Kay Richter is a San Antonio-based writer and photographer. She has been the Co-Editor of the San Antonio Sentinel since January 2020. Reach her at bkay@sasentinel.com.