San Antonio – It will take weeks before San Antonio Metro Health officials know whether or not there’s been a plateau in the spread COVID-19 cases in Bexar County.
On Monday there were 351 new cases reported in Bexar County, but the acceleration of spread is beginning to slow down.
“We’re seeing a decline, it remains to be seen if this decline is going to be sustained but until that happens it remains difficult to say we’ve reached a plateau,” Dr. Anita Kurian with Metro Health said.
Bexar County surpasses 15,000 COVID-19 cases
The city has also made the decision to only test people who are showing symptoms at the city run testing locations. That decision was made to ensure that the uninsured and under insured get priority testing.
There are still more than 50 testing locations in the county, including private providers who can test asymptomatic people, Kurian said.
Officials explained that several people who were insured were getting the free tests and others testing at multiple locations when people who had symptoms and without insurance had to drive to other cities to get tested.
Hundreds of military and state nurses have already started arriving to back up staff at local intensive care units.
The city and county are also ramping up efforts to crack down on the spread.
‘A little ray of hope:’ Acceleration of COVID-19 spread is slowing down, San Antonio mayor says
The city reports 48 calls were received regarding violations concerning the public health ordinance. Drink Texas bar in downtown was shutdown for operating illegally.
The owner, Greg Barrineau, said he’s concerned about the increasing cases of COVID-19 cases but he’s fighting the ordinance in court for a fair application of the law.
“We just want it to be fair, if it’s proven and justified that it’s not safe to be in a bar, then no bar should be open a restaurant type bar or a regular bar,” he said.
Barrineau tells KSAT he is waiting to hear if a temporary restraining order will be granted on their behalf in court later this week. He was given a citation by the city on Saturday.