Coronavirus update San Antonio, May 19: Testing capacity nears 4,000 per day in Bexar County; Positivity rate declines for 3 weeks, mayor says

Small business owners must register for PPE kits

SAN ANTONIOEditor’s Note: Watch the entire briefing in the video player above. Newsletter recipients can click here to access the video.

San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg and Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff updated the community about the local response to COVID-19 in their daily briefing Tuesday night.

Here are a few of the highlights:

  • Nirenberg reported 2,278 COVID-19 cases and 62 deaths in Bexar County, as of Tuesday. Twenty-three cases are from the community, five are from the Bexar County Jail and seven are from congregate settings.
  • City officials also reported that 80 patients are hospitalized, 35 are in the intensive care unit and 20 are on ventilators.
  • New city and county orders were announced today. The attorneys for both governments discussed the changes made the orders during the brief. Click here to read the orders that are in place until June 4.
  • Nirenberg says testing capacity in the San Antonio area has gone up from the 3,000 per day announced yesterday to 3,960 tests per day.
  • Nirenberg said the positivity rate in the area has declined for the third week in a row.
  • The leaders said 2,000 kits with personal protective equipment were purchased to distribute to small business owners. Nirenberg said small business owners must register by calling 311 or by visiting the city’s website. The kits will be available for pickup at the Alamodome on May 27.
  • Wolff said 228 inmates at the Bexar County Jail are still waiting to be transferred to the Texas prison system. He said more will be stuck in the jail as the county waits for the state to take the inmates.
  • Wolff said protection from evictions will probably not go beyond June 1 locally. However, he said some people may be protected beyond that if they are living in properties protected by the CARES Act.
  • Wolff said the people living in the county have foreclosure protection in place until July 6.
  • Wolff said he was happy with a federal judge’s ruling to allow mail-in voting during the pandemic. Click here to learn more about this ruling.

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About the Author
Ivan Herrera headshot

Ivan Herrera, MSc Business, has worked as a journalist in San Antonio since 2016. His work for KSAT 12 and KSAT.com includes covering consumer and money content, news of the day and trending stories.

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