Death toll in Bexar County rises by three.
Three more people who were infected with the novel coronavirus have died, Mayor Ron Nirenberg reported Sunday.
A Hispanic man and a Hispanic woman in their 50s and an Asian American man in his 90s died, each at a Methodist hospital.
That put the death toll for Bexar County at 69.
It was the first time in nearly two weeks the area has seen multiple deaths from the virus.
The deaths are a grim reminder that the virus is still active, officials said.
But in the middle of the long Memorial Day weekend, area rivers and other outdoor venues were filled with people who weren’t wearing face coverings or observing 6-foot social distancing.
“There’s still no cure, there’s no vaccine,” said County Commissioner Justin Rodriguez, adding that the only sure thing for fighting COVID-19 is to maintain 6-foot social distancing and for people who are vulnerable to stay at home as much as possible. “It’s a little disturbing to see those large crowds. We just have to keep reminding folks that we’re not out of the woods. We have to continue to be vigilant.”
Rodriguez was filling in for County Judge Nelson Wolff at the daily city-county briefing with Nirenberg.
There were 24 new cases of the coronavirus reported Sunday, increasing the total number in Bexar County to 2,442.
The hospital situation remains stable, the mayor said, although there was a “slight uptick” in those who are sick enough to be hospitalized.
There were 79 people in the hospital Sunday, up from 70 on Saturday. Of those, 41 were in intensive care and 20 were on ventilators to help them breathe. That leaves 77 percent of ventilators and 33 percent of staffed hospital beds available citywide.
“We are monitoring very closely those hospital numbers to make sure we don’t see a spike in them,” Nirenberg said.
Bars were among the many businesses that Gov. Greg Abbott allowed to open Friday for the first time in two months, but only at 25 percent of maximum capacity.
Some revelers couldn’t contain themselves at several establishments, where there were reports of people lined up along bars and filling tables with no regard for the 25 percent capacity restriction, let alone the 6-foot social distance recommendation.
Nirenberg said several warnings have been issued over the last 48 hours. The San Antonio Police Department and the city’s Development Services Department have conducted some “proactive visits” to businesses that have been the subject of complaints as well as to places where a lot of activity was expected.
Local governments are charged with enforcing the guidelines that the state has issued. Establishments “flouting” the governor’s orders could face warnings, citations or being shut down, the mayor said.
“The vast majority of businesses that we’re seeing, the small-business community, wants to comply,” Nirenberg said.
Eviction concerns
Meanwhile, Rodriguez said the city and county are working to make sure local residents don’t end up on the street now that a moratorium on evictions ended last week by order of the Texas Supreme Court. Justice of the peace courts are expected to resume eviction hearings as early as June 15, the commissioner said.
“We’re working on a plan, in conjunction with the mayor and the city, to reach out to those who are on those eviction dockets to make sure, if they’ve not taken advantage of the rental-assistance programs offered by the city and county, it’s not too late to do that,” Rodriguez said.
There have been preliminary discussions about having city and county personnel at court hearings to assist those facing eviction, he added.
The county initially set aside $4 million in rental assistance, of which about half may be remaining. The Commissioners Court intends to add from $10 million to $15 million to the program, Rodriguez said.
About half of the $25 million that the city earmarked for housing assistance has been spoken for, Nirenberg said.
Information on the programs is at sanantonio.gov and bexar.org.