CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The Rockport Mayor, Patrick Rios, has expressed concerns in a letter over the recent climb in COVID-19 cases in Aransas County and all throughout Texas.
Mayor Rios begins the letter by saying he wishes things were improving in terms of the coronavirus.
Rios goes on to say that in Governor Abbott's press conference on Monday, he “struck a newly urgent tone about those rising numbers but stopped short of introducing any new policies or pulling back on the reopening of Texas businesses."
In the press conference, Abbott emphasized citizens all across Texas should establish voluntary guidelines, including staying home when possible, using hand sanitizer, keeping 6 feet distance from others, and wearing a mask.
"Locally, we are seeing an increasing number of positive cases – an additional three announced today. But there seems to be a lack of timely communication from the Texas Department of State Health Services and the Texas Department of Emergency Management to the County Judge. We have been aware of this issue for several months and continue to address it with the agencies, as well as state elected officials," stated Rockport Mayor, Patrick Rios.
According to Rockport officials, the City of Rockport staff has had three confirmed cases including, a Gas Department employee.
"We are taking extra precautions within our offices with regular disinfecting, social distancing, masks within the working environment, and continuing to keep our lobbies closed to general traffic. Additionally, we are monitoring guests visiting the pool for fever, maintaining social distancing, and continuing the closure of our public lobbies," added Rios.
Many counties across the state of Texas have mandated wearing a mask in business establishments such as Jim Wells County, Harris County, and Nueces County.
Mayor Rios says Aransas County has no plans to mandate wearing a mask but encourages the public to voluntarily follow guidelines in order to keep the spread of COVID-19 at a minimum.
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