BEXAR COUNTY, Texas – Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff issued an executive order on Wednesday as the city recorded the largest one-day increase of 436 new COVID-19 cases.
What You Need To Know
- 436 new cases in largest spike on Tuesday
- Order requires commercial businesses to display health policy
- Peace officers, law enforcement can enforce order
- Businesses can be fined up to $1,000
Mayor Ron Nirenberg referred to the new data as “fairly alarming” during the daily coronavirus briefing on Tuesday evening.
READ MORE | Gov. Abbott Says Texas Equipped to Deal with COVID-19 Surge
The executive order declared a local disaster and public health emergency for the county. The order says all commercial entities providing goods or services must implement a health policy, which should require, at minimum, for all employees and visitors to wear a face masks.
The health policy must be displayed or can result in a fine up to $1,000.
READ MORE | Mayors of Texas’ Largest Cities Ask Gov. Abbott for Authority to Enforce Wearing of Masks
The general public is encouraged to continue to abide by social distancing as well as having all persons over the age of 10 wearing a face masks in public spaces.
The order also says that this order can be enforced by peace officers or other law enforcement.
As of Tuesday, there were 4,873 cases in Bexar County and more than 60 percent of cases were between the ages of 20-49.
READ MORE | Recent Spike in COVID-19 Cases May Not Signal Second Wave, Experts Say