SAN ANTONIO – As bars in Bexar county have been given the green light to reopen and schools are preparing to bring more students into the classroom, San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg said during Wednesday’s Q&A that it’s important for the public to continue COVID-19 precautions including mask-wearing and social distancing during this transition.
How safe is it to reopen bars?
Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff announced that local bars will be able to reopen soon at 50% capacity.
Wolff said Wednesday evening that most of the 3,000 bars in the county had already reclassified as restaurants and that his order will allow the remaining 425 bars to reopen.
“Bars that comply with the guidance that has been offered by the public health professionals in terms of distancing, seating people, not [putting] multiple parties together, no service standing, no service at the actual bar, you have to remain seated, mask-wearing. So as long as we are mindful of public health guidance, we’ll be able to do this safely. They will be enforced,” he said.
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Thoughts on schools bringing in more students into the classroom?
“So the recommendation is that in-person learning is limited to small pods of students, no more than six per pod. And so we have occupancy at 25%. That’s still the public health guidance, whether it’s bars or schools. I think it’s the right thing to do to follow the public health guidance,” he said.
For the last couple of weeks, the coronavirus positivity rate in San Antonio has been teetering around 5%. Nirenberg said even businesses and events reopen, these protocols should keep that rate steady.
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