“I know I saw some leaflets over the mask of parties. I don’t even get it,” Turner said.
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City leaders are investigating a promotion of Concrete Cowboy, a bar in Washington Avenue.
Ann Johnson, Sunday, joined Turner at a press conference to cancel the event.
“Let’s make sure we get the vaccines in people’s arms before we open the gates and start acting like everything’s fine when everything’s not right,” Turner said.
After Al Jara, the owner of Marquis II, struggled over the past year to watch another bar try to exploit the end of a health policy, he calls it irresponsible.
“It’s not necessary to actively try to gather people. I’ll probably give my customers the choice, but I would not promote it to come here and have a big event. I think it’s incredibly irresponsible,” said Jara.
Johnson applauded the pub owners who are acting responsibly at the moment.
This weekend, Turner said the city of Houston exceeded 2,000 deaths due to COVID-19. He also reminded people that there are five variants of the virus in the city.
Texas’ mask assignment and the promotion of Concrete Cowboy’s mask-off party have raised concerns about other similar events from other states coming to Texas.
Turner said promoters in states that are not allowed to act 100% and are forced to wear a mask promote the fact that the events are being brought to cities like Houston, Dallas and Austin.
“It poses a serious risk,” he said.
Johnson added that just because we can do something does not mean we have to do it.
“What Governor Abbott has done is give the irresponsible individuals a license to endanger our public health when he would withdraw their liquor license,” she said. “We therefore urge all Houstoniers to continue with sound measures to distance themselves socially, to be vaccinated and to do things to protect our safety.”
A pediatrician at Memorial Hermann Greater Heights Hospital was also at the counseling session to urge people to continue with preventative measures.
“Mask-off occasions in celebration of the reckless, if not negligent, feedback of COVID-19 prevention measures are like throwing salt over a gaping wound for health workers in this city and in this great state,” said Dr. . Christina Propst said.
She said that at present, seven percent of Texans are being vaccinated. To achieve herd immunity, 70% of Texans must be vaccinated.
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