‘It’s getting scary out there.’ Erath County judge urges public to wear masks, socially distance.
Updated: Dec 12, 2020
Erath County Judge Alfonso Campos said Tuesday that there is a good possibility that businesses will be forced to reduce capacity as new cases of Covid-19 surge across the area.
“It’s getting really scary out there,” Judge Campos told Beneath the Surface News.
Campos received a letter on Monday from the Texas Department of State Health Services informing him that Erath County has reached the threshold of confirmed and active cases of Covid-19.
“The state is urging us to reinforce the importance of taking preventative measures like wearing masks, social distancing and washing hands,” Campos said. “I consider that pretty serious.”
Campos said he is “reluctant” to mention another shutdown, but believes there is a good chance that local businesses will be forced to reduce capacity to 50% (from 75%) in the coming days.
“It’s all about the hospital and from what I understand the hospital has asked the state for help with additional staffing,” he said. “In November, we went from 44 hospitalizations to 75. That’s a lot of people.”
County officials are hosting a conference call at 2 p.m. today (Tuesday) to discuss measures moving forward. The call involves input from local medical professionals and officials with the city, county, Tarleton State University and Texas Health Stephenville.
A RISE IN LOCAL NUMBERS
June 1: 28 cases
July 1: 188 cases
Oct. 1: 1,109 cases
Dec. 1: 1,586 cases.