CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Owners of the popular Corpus Christi bar The Exchange are closing their doors to deep clean and reassess their policies due to the recent COVID-19 surge, the bar posted to social media.
Management said they hope to reopen with new COVID protocols as soon as possible.
"We absolutely hate to shut down but we cannot ignore that Corpus Christi is going through a third-wave of out-of-control infections and (most importantly) hospitalization rates," the notice said. "For that reason, we have decided the most responsible decision we can make is to take a short break."
Hospitals in the area have been overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients. The hospitalization rate is higher now in Corpus Christi than it was when Texas shut down in 2020, officials said.
Nurses and staff are being overworked and patients are filling up beds faster than they can be staffed; area medical officials are working with the state right now to get more help.
"We are having to send our patients out of our county," said Dr. Kim Onufrak with the City-County Health District. "Out of our district to other hospitals that are also stretched thin."
The greater Corpus Christi area is also out of ICU beds due to a surge in COVID-19, according to the State of Texas.
For the latest updates on coronavirus in the Coastal Bend, click here.
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