Hays County on Saturday reported its first presumptive case of COVID-19, prompting county and city of San Marcos officials to declare a state of local disaster.
Officials said the person traveled to several cities along the West Coast and was possibly exposed to the virus during that time.
The person notified the Hays County Local Health Department after developing symptoms and was hospitalized, officials said. The patient was released from the hospital Saturday morning and “will self-quarantine at home until they are fever-free for 48 hours without use of fever-reducing medication,” officials said.
It is unclear whether the person is from the area. Officials said Hays County residents weren’t exposed to the disease at any time, but they said they were working to notify passengers who were potentially exposed to the virus while on the plane with the patient.
County officials will provide more details during a news conference Sunday, the statement said.
“As this is a pandemic disease, we fully expected to see cases in Hays County and have been preparing for this situation,” County Judge Ruben Becerra said in a statement Saturday. “We have been working with local and state officials to ensure that protocols are established and followed, and that we have access to additional resources should they be necessary.”
Austin reported Friday that three people have tested positive for the disease.
CORONAVIRUS IN TEXAS: What we know, latest updates
The declaration allows Hays County and San Marcos to activate emergency plans and access state and federal disaster funding, San Marcos Mayor Jane Hughson said a news release Saturday.
“We knew we would eventually see cases in our area, and have been working cooperatively with our regional partners to protect our residents,” she said. “We remind everyone to remain calm and to continue to practice preventive measures.”
The San Marcos City Council meeting on Tuesday will continue as scheduled, but the public is encouraged to send comments by email and to watch the session in a livestream on the city’s website or television channels, the release said.
Other changes to the city’s schedule include canceling or postponing all other board and commission meeting from March 16 to 20 and resetting all municipal court dates scheduled through April 1.
“We aren’t canceling all City events at this time, but will be making appropriate adjustments depending on the location, participants and the availability of volunteers who are vital to our operation,” Hughson said.
The release said all other city facilities will operate normally for now, but that may change pending the city’s evaluations, especially for programs for high-risk individuals, such as senior adults.
San Marcos is also evaluating employee status and safety, canceling non-essential business travel, asking employees to report personal travel, coordinating remote-work options and coordinating with staff who may have childcare needs based on school or daycare closures, the release said.
Williamson County and the city of Georgetown also issued local disaster declarations Saturday. They came a day after Gov. Greg Abbott declared a state of disaster in Texas and President Donald Trump declared the pandemic a national emergency.
Travis County and the city of Austin issued a local disaster declaration on March 6.
Credit: Source link
