224 more cases, 2 more deaths

Nirenberg urges caution as officials predict infection spike when bars reopen

Mayor Ron Nirenberg said officials are anticipating an increase in COVID-19 cases as residents slowly resume normal activities and Bexar County prepares to allow more bars to reopen.

“We are anticipating another surge,” Nirenberg said during his daily coronavirus briefing.

In preparation, officials are looking back at the summer spike in infections and asking themselves what they would do differently.

In July, the daily count of new infections frequently exceeded 1,000, and from the middle of that month until early September, the daily death toll was often in double digits.

Key health metrics have improved steadily since then, but a few have moved in the wrong direction lately. For instance, the test positivity rate — the percentage of COVID-19 tests conducted in Bexar County that come back positive— inched up to 5.8 percent last week after falling below the target of 5 percent.

Nirenberg noted that more schools have reopened, some sporting events have resumed, and organizers of the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo plan to stage the annual event in February.

“We have taken a number of steps now to ensure that we’re protected” in the event of a surge, Nirenberg said. “We have testing and tracing capacity at the volume that’s necessary to ensure that we’re able to track and isolate infections as quickly as possible.”

“We also are not going to get rid of the mask mandate,” he added.

Nirenberg sounded his warning on a day when the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District reported 224 new coronavirus cases — 92 more than on Wednesday — bringing the area’s total case count since the start of the pandemic to 60,258.

Two new deaths also were reported: a man in his 60s and a man in his 80s. Both had underlying health conditions, city officials said. Their ethnicities were not provided.

Bexar County’s COVID-19 death toll now stands at 1,209.

San Antonio hospitals were caring for 203 coronavirus patients Thursday — 10 more than the previous day. Seventy-six

were in intensive care, four fewer than on Wednesday, and 33 were on ventilators, compared with 39 on Wednesday.

Bars to reopen

Last week, Gov. Greg Abbott announced that county officials could decide whether to permit the reopening of bars.

Many bars already had reopened by taking advantage of a rule allowing them to resume serving liquor if they also served food — from kitchens or food trucks. But an estimated 425 Bexar County bars that don’t serve food still have not reopened.

Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff said bars that reopen will have to observe a 50 percent occupancy limit, require face masks and prohibit customers from congregating indoors or outdoors while waiting for tables. Violators could be fined up to $1,000.

“We think that by making it mandatory and enforcing it, it’ll provide even greater protection for people,” Wolff said.

“If we ever let our guard down on those (guidelines), regardless of where we are, then we’re going to get in trouble,” he said. But if residents continue to follow safety protocols, “I think we’re going to beok,” Wolff added.

Area report

Comal County reported 19 more coronavirus cases Thursday, increasing the county’s total to 3,626. About 101 of those cases are active. A majority of the total cases — 2,700 — involve residents of Newbraunfels.

The county’s COVID-19 death toll stands at 120.

Comal County’s hospitals were caring for six coronavirus patients Thursday. Two were in intensive care and one was on a ventilator.