SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg has announced that traditional camping over Easter weekend will not be allowed for the second year in a row due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Nirenberg said that while parks will be open to visitors during the daytime, they will not be open for overnight camping.
“I know that this has been a disappointing and difficult year for everyone, and we’re asking for your patience though as we try to put this pandemic behind us,” the mayor said during the daily COVID-19 briefing on Monday. “We do not have the resources to properly enforce public health protocols for overnight camping during Easter.”
He did encourage locals to visit parks and “get outside and enjoy some recreation.”
Last year, the parks were almost entirely closed to the public for Easter weekend as COVID-19 began to spread in the community. During that weekend only trails and greenways were accessible for walking, running or biking.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends celebrating holidays virtually, as gatherings could increase someone’s chances of contracting the virus.
If people do plan on celebrating Easter with people outside their household, the CDC says to gather outdoors and at least six feet apart from others.
Earlier in the briefing, Nirenberg announced an increase of 159 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total case count to 205,258 since the pandemic began. No new deaths were reported Monday and the death toll stands at 3,144.
The 7-day rolling average is 183 and the positivity rate is 2.05% this week.
Read also: