SAN ANTONIO — Note: The above video is from a June 16 story.
Joining the leaders of eight other Texas cities, Mayor Ron Nirenberg penned a letter to residents of the state asking them to "mask up and social distance where possible" amid a surge in cases and hospitalization rates in the Lone Star State this week.
The nine mayors wrote that "mixed messaging" and the assumption that "we are somehow past the threat of coronavirus" have been counterintuitive to ongoing efforts to contain COVID-19's spread in recent weeks.
"After weeks of suspensions and precautions, our state has moved to reopen. It is both predictable and unsurprising that this has caused the spread of the disease we all worked to hard to contain," the letter reads, in part. "We need to take this seriously."
Friday marked the fourth straight day that Texas health officials reported at least 3,000 new cases of the novel coronavirus; before Tuesday, there were no such days during the ongoing pandemic. The number of Texans currently hospitalized with the virus has also reached all-time highs this week.
Nirenberg, who has for weeks recommended that San Antonians wear masks and practice diligent social distancing – and has also styled his Twitter profile to include a "Wear a mask!" message – posted the letter in full on social media. He also reminded his followers to "remain vigilant" as infections rise.
As of Thursday evening, there has been 5,550 lab-confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Bexar County, and 92 residents have died from virus-related complications.