COMAL COUNTY, Texas – With Bexar County and San Antonio city parks closed Friday through Sunday due to a surge in COVID-19 cases, Canyon Lake is seeing especially increased volume for the holiday weekend.
Officials say the increase in visitors is likely due to the temporary shutdown of the public parks, meaning increased vigilance for firefighters guarding the lake.
Parks in San Antonio, Bexar County to close Fourth of July weekend due to COVID-19
“We also have an extra medic unit and a support unit on River Road,” said Jason Rush, battalion chief of Canyon Lake Fire and EMS.
Marine 53, a fireboat, will be staffed with trained professionals who are going to be patrolling the lake.
“Our job is to be out there and make sure they’re just having a great Fourth of July,” Rush said.
The extra safety measures come as San Antonio area health officials announced increased hospitalizations following Memorial Day.
“We can’t sustain that type of growth of COVID-19 positive inpatients in our community. We have more than quadrupled in exactly two weeks. That’s unsustainable,” said Allen Harrison, CEO of Methodist Healthcare System.
While the firefighters patrolling Canyon Lake are equipped to handle on scene emergencies, they want to remind the community how important it is for folks to heed the guidelines issued in the fight against COVID-19.
“Wear your mask if you’re coming in contact with people less than six feet. I think that, you know, doing temperature checks -- just keep that standard up,” Rush said.
