Local leaders and health experts insist on canceling ‘mask’ events

HOUSTON People across the state Lone Star no longer have to wear face masks and businesses will open up to 100% from Wednesday. Mayor Sylvester Turner and other elected officials are concerned about ‘events in the super-speaker’, such as parties in the Houston area.

“We are not the dumping ground for events that will endanger Texans and cause people to lose,” Turner said.

Gov. Greg Abbott said the state continued to improve in the fight against the coronavirus, with the latest positive percentage for Texas at 7%. He added that the positivity rate is the lowest it has been in five months and that hospitalizations are down.

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Still, Turner met with other health and elected officials on Sunday to condemn a local bar and other businesses for hosting “masking” events. They said this is not the time to party and hold big gatherings.

Concrete Cowboy, a bar on Washington Avenue, is holding a “mask off” party on Wednesday, the same day that the order of the entire mask ends.

KPRC 2 reached the office for comment, but our phone calls were not returned.

Several leaders said the event was a slap in the face to those who worked on the front lines.

“Masking events and celebrating the reckless, or negligent feedback of COVID-19 prevention measures, is like throwing salt into a gaping wound for health workers,” said Dr Christina Propst, a pediatrician. .

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Healthcare workers joined the city leaders, urging people to stay alert and follow COVID 19 guidelines.

“The hard part is that we are really tired of it, but the infection is not tired of us and we are not done,” said Dr. Bich-May Nguyen, a physician and board member of Doctors for America, said.

State Representative Ann Johnson said the events in the superspreader will begin the fourth boom of COVID-19 in the Houston area.

“It will endanger the lives of these health workers, those who work in the nightclubs, the customers and the community members in this area,” she said.

Turner said the city exceeded the 2000 mark for the number of people who died from COVID-19. He said more cases are being reported every day.

“Keep in mind that there are five variants in the city of Houston, and they are moving fast,” he said.

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Turner said until more people are vaccinated, this is not the time to let our guards down.

“And what I would say with all due respect to the governor is that there is nothing wrong with returning and reversing the mask mandate,” he said.

Propst said about 7% of Texans have been vaccinated. While achieving herd immunity, 70% of Texans need to get the vaccine.

Here is a full press release with local officials and health experts on Sunday, March 7: