Judge Hidalgo, Mayor Turner asks residents to cancel holiday gatherings as hospital admissions rise

HOUSTON – Judge Lina Hidalgo of Harris County and Mayor Sylvester Turner of Houston urged residents on Wednesday to cancel vacation meetings as hospital admissions and COVID-19 cases continue to increase in the Houston area.

Hidalgo said the province has faced a number of challenges during the coronavirus pandemic over the past year. She said ICU numbers have not stopped creeping and Texas Medical Center routinely exceeds its basic competence.

“The current situation where our Medical Center, the largest in the world, routinely exceeds its base capacity means that procedures are delayed, health workers are at risk of burnout, that we cannot tolerate a wave of infections. where we are now and that we live on the edge, ”said Hidalgo.

The judge urged residents to stay home and postpone plans as Christmas and the end of the year approach.

“Mayor Turner and I wanted to join forces today to demonstrate how serious it is for everyone to cancel meetings. Show your love for others this year by not visiting, wait until it’s safe until we turn the corner and that will be when enough people have been vaccinated, ”she said.

Hidalgo said she and Turner have both discussed the possibility of introducing a curfew, but said it would be the last resort.

“The mayor and I have discussed the possibility of imposing a curfew,” she said. “To be clear, we choose not to do that now because it is a last resort to use when disaster seems inevitable. Right now we can turn things around. That said, we don’t rule out a future curfew. “

Turner stressed the importance of Hidalgo’s message, saying the city’s positivity has risen to 12.3%.

“Let me say I agree 100% with Judge Hidalgo,” said Turner. We both talked about where we are now in Houston and Harris County. We’ve both looked intensely at these numbers for the past six weeks. The positivity rate is increasing. “

As of Wednesday, the Houston Health Department is reporting 634 new COVID-19 cases and no new deaths.

Turner also asked if people could get tested, but said the testing sites will be closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, but will reopen on Saturday.

Turner also spoke of a recent incident where a man is accused of assaulting a local bartender when asked to wear a mask. The mayor has been promoting the wearing of masks since the summer, saying the incident is disturbing and will not be tolerated in the city of Houston.

“Let me say this is unacceptable,” said Turner. “OK? That kind of behavior is unacceptable.”

He said he spoke to Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo about the incident. He said law enforcement officers are aggressively seeking the suspect and hope to press charges against him.

“We want to find this person,” said Turner. “We want to find him and arrest him and charge him. To be honest, I almost see it as attempted murder itself, but this kind of folly won’t, it won’t be accepted. This lawlessness of this kind will not occur. “

The mayor said those who do not want to abide by the mask order when they go to a business should stay at home.

Turner said the city will host an event on Thursday to hand out about 40,000 masks and provide 20,000 ready-to-eat meals. He said those who wish to participate in the event with social distance should register on the website.

Dr. David Persse, chief medical officer for Houston, said it is important for residents to avoid gatherings during the holiday season, as the spread of the virus could triple in the Houston area.

“It could triple in January, which is why it’s extremely important for us to avoid any kind of gatherings this holiday season,” Persse said. “I certainly wish we could all be with our families, but unfortunately, as we all know, this is just not the right time. And I hope you agree with me, just as others have said today. It’s just extremely important to our health and the health of the people we love to make it a priority to limit these gatherings. “