New order prohibits gatherings of 10 or more in San Marcos

In a special called meeting Tuesday, the San Marcos City Council extended a declaration of disaster and stated that San Marcos will prohibit gatherings of 10 or more people. Hays County released the same regulation for county areas that do not already have restrictions in place.

“The declaration gives us the ability to do everything we can for the public's health and safety, to prevent the spread within the community and to be able to utilize state and federal resources that will be critical in this event as we work together as a community to get through it,” City Manager Bert Lumbreras said.

Extending the declared State of Disaster provides Mayor Jane Hughson with the authority to restrict activities to reduce community spreading. It also makes state and federal disaster assistance available to us. 

In response, the city has closed public libraries, activity centers, and prohibited all gatherings with 10 or more people at city facilities. The city encourages social distancing for all outward public activities. 

Additionally, bars will close and restaurants can remain open to less than 10 people at one time, including staff, and to serve take out orders.

“These decisions are not decisions that anyone is making lightly," Public Safety Director Chase Stapp said. "This has a huge affect on our economy. The public health concern is greater than the local economy.”

Gathering with more than 10 people is a Class C misdemeanor as it is noncompliance of a city ordinance. The order does not include critical infrastructure, including airport facilities and operations, transit, and transit facilities; government buildings providing essential services; schools or institutions of higher learning; grocery stores and pharmacies; and hospitals and medical offices and facilities.

City Boards and Commissions meetings and all nonessential meetings are likely to be cancelled through May. Municipal court is resetting all dockets scheduled through April 1 to a later date in April and May. Defendants with appearance dates before April 1 should call 512-393-8190 to schedule a new date. 

As of 3 p.m. Tuesday, there were 64 officially counted cases of COVID-19 in the state, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. 

“It's safe to say that this virus and pandemic that is occurring across the country is very fluid," Stapp said. "It is changing by the hour. Because it is a rapidly evolving situation, I can tell you our leadership team has been in constant contact with the state on a regular basis.” 

Rachel Ingle, the  city's Emergency Management Coordinator is reportedly working with a group of all emergency response organizations, holding daily conference calls with the Texas Department of Health Services and staying up to date on changing Center for Disease Control and Prevention's recommendations. 

San Marcos Office of Emergency Management created a High Consequence Infectious Disease and Pandemic Response Standard Operating Procedure to help guide decisions about service delivery and emergency operations protocol.

There are 5 levels to the protocol and the city is currently at level 4 which is called “Escalated.” The next level is “Emergency Operations” and would be triggered by multiple cases combined with confirmed community spreading, widespread closures mandated by Hays County Health Department Expected, or the breakdown of public service delivery. 

There are currently 3 confirmed positive cases in Hays County with other cases awaiting test results. 

The city is making efforts to reduce prison populations by continuing to emphasize Cite and Release for some Class A and B misdemeanors and all Class C misdemeanors to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

It is unknown how many tests are available locally because there is a combination of public and private healthcare providers requesting tests from different sources. Private healthcare providers and patients being tested by private providers should report results to the Hays County Health Department, which will report it to the state.

Ingle said the federal and state government has released their strategic national stockpile of protective equipment and is being distributed to jurisdictions across Texas. 

Stapp emphasized the importance of calling your health provider first to determine if you meet the criteria to be tested and then direct you to a place that has the capacity to test. 

Criteria to be tested include a history of traveling to a location that has community spread within the United States or to a country that has a level 2 or 3 warning issued by the CDC, any known exposure to someone who has tested positive or exhibiting symptoms: fever over 104 degrees, coughing or difficulty breathing. 

“Inevitable community spread has been the subject of discussion for weeks," Ingle said. "We need to prepare now and think ahead. When we have more cases that are not travel related, that will trigger those additional response measures.”