Leaders in the Houston area are urging residents to show their love for others by canceling vacation gatherings

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) – Ahead of Christmas, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo and Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner are urging residents to be safe and to cancel all holiday parties if possible after seeing a spike in COVID-19- Affairs.

“It’s tempting, especially during the holidays, to think it’s okay to visit friends and family now, especially now that there is light at the end of the tunnel with the COVID-19 vaccine,” said Hidalgo. “Right now, in the holiday season, as the virus rages across the country and our state, we face the biggest challenge yet.”

Hidalgo added that the number of patients in the ICU has not continued to rise.

“All over Texas, communities are entering dangerous areas,” Hidalgo said. “The way to show your loved ones that you love them during the holiday season is to stay home and postpone your plans this year.”

Judge Hidalgo said she and Turner wanted to join forces to convey the seriousness of how important it is for everyone to cancel meetings this year.

Mayor Turner followed Hidalgo’s statements and said he agreed with her as they have talked about where the city and county are now.

“The positivity rate is on the rise. Our ICUs are up from where they were six weeks ago and now we are preparing for the start of the holiday season,” said Turner. ‘Plan it again [holiday] plans for a while next year. It’s important to do that to keep loved ones and yourself safe.

During the briefing, Turner said 634 new cases of COVID-19 were reported on Wednesday, bringing the city’s total to 112,056.

Prior to the briefing, Houston business owners feared another shutdown would take place. Although leaders have opted not to impose a curfew yet, Hidalgo said they are not ruling it out.

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