Kendall County, Boerne update health declaration, adding mask requirement for large retailers

Order will go in effect on July 3 and impacts large area retailers and county public facilities

A shopper wears a mask as she pushes her grocery cart in the rain Thursday, June 25, 2020, in Houston. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Wednesday that the state is facing a "massive outbreak" in the coronavirus pandemic and that some new local restrictions may be needed to protect hospital space for new patients. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) (David J. Phillip, Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

BOERNE, Tx – Kendall County and The City of Boerne announced that they have updated their emergency health declaration by adding mask requirements for large retailers on Tuesday.

According to a press release from The City of Boerne, Mayor Tim Handren and Kendall County Judge Darrel Lux signed an addendum to previous emergency health declarations.

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The addendum mandates that the county’s largest retailers establish a “Health and Safety Policy,” which will require employees and customers to wear facial coverings and to practice social distancing protocols.

The amended order will go into effect at 12:01 a.m. on July 3. Handren and Lux said, in a city press release, that they have communicated with management at all the impacted retailers and they have said they will abide by the declaration.

As of June 30, the Texas Department of Health and Human Services has reported 66 cases of COVID-19 in Kendall County, Handren said the virus’ low impact will not stop local leaders from preventing an increase.

“We are neighbors to the seventh-largest city in the country, and our hearts go out to San Antonians impacted by the alarming rise of COVID-19 cases there,” Handren said in a statement. “We have seen the data that shows the spread, heard from the local doctors on the Medical Advisory Board and many in our community about the simple steps we can take to keep our neighbors safe.”

According to the county mandate, the impacted stores are to “develop policies that mandate the use of face coverings if people cannot practice physical distancing.”

The county order will also apply to employees and visitors at both the city and county’s public facilities.

The order directly impacts the following businesses, but city and county leaders have encouraged all businesses to follow the same guidelines:

  • Walmart at 1381 S. Main Street, Boerne
  • H-E-B Plus at 420 W. Bandera Road, Boerne
  • Home Depot at 633 W Bandera Road, Boerne
  • Love’s Travel Stop at 43 US-87, Comfort

Related: Guadalupe County order mandates masks in businesses

Related: Boerne City Lake will temporarily close on weekends and holidays, including July 4


About the Author

Jakob Rodriguez is a digital journalist at KSAT 12. He's a graduate of Texas State University, where he served as the editor-in-chief of the student-run newspaper, The University Star.

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