Mayor Nirenberg Issues a Public Health Emergency Declaration
March 2, 2020 - San Antonio
North Star Mall took to social media to let customers know what measures were being taken to ensure public safety. Photo: Facebook.
By Jade Esteban Estrada - Writer, San Antonio Sentinel
On Monday, San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg issued a Public Emergency Declaration after a patient who was released into the San Antonio community by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was brought back into isolation after a “weakly positive” test result for COVID-19 was discovered. The female patient was out of isolation for approximately 12 hours.
The Metro Health Department conducted a contact investigation to determine where the patient went upon release and with whom the patient may have come in contact to assess the risk of exposure to the community. The results of that investigation found that the risk of exposure is “low,” as the patient, who is reportedly asymptomatic, interacted with few people and “was not in close contact with anyone,” according to their findings.
Mayor Nirenberg, Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff and local public health officials hosted a news conference Monday morning and revealed that the discharged patient had contact with others while she was out of isolation.
Metro Health provided the following timeline of the patient’s activities to the public:
Saturday, February 29, 2020
2:53 p.m. - Patient was dropped off at the Holiday Inn Express Airport at 91 NE Loop 410 by a third-party driver. Patient entered her room at 3:11 p.m.
5:13 p.m. - Patient returned to the hotel lobby and requested a shuttle. The patient was picked up at 5:23 p.m. by a hotel shuttle driver.
The CDC is closely monitoring an outbreak of respiratory illness caused by a novel (new) coronavirus first identified in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. Cases of COVID-19 also are being reported in a growing number of countries internationally, including the United States. Photo: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. - Patient visited North Star Mall, including Dillard’s, Talbot’s and Swarovski. Patient went to the food court, ordered food from a Chinese restaurant and ate alone in the food court area. It has been reported that the patient was not in close contact with anyone at the mall.
7:30 p.m. Patient returned to the hotel on the hotel shuttle.
7:35 p.m. Patient re-entered their room.
Sunday, March 1, 2020
2:00 a.m. - Patient was transported back to the Texas Center for Infectious Disease (TCID) in a specialized ambulance. All medical professionals on board reportedly wore personal protective equipment.
Metro Health is in the process of contacting individuals who may have come in contact with the patient to notify them of the potential risk of exposure to COVID-19, which is also known as the novel coronavirus. According to the City, all individuals who came in contact with the patient at the hotel and mall are considered to be of “low risk of exposure,” and only two of the 18 people who came in contact with the patient at the TCID hospital are considered to be medium risk.
RELATED: Lackland Air Force Base Selected as Coronavirus Quarantine Site
Metro Health has recommended deep cleaning with disinfectants to both the hotel and mall management.
After the press conference, the City Attorney’s Office took a two-pronged legal approach to prevent the potential spread of COVID-19. First, they sought a temporary restraining order (TRO) in federal court to prevent the more than 120 people who have completed their 14-day quarantine from being released by the CDC until they have been tested and confirmed negative for the virus or complete a 28-day quarantine. The intent of the TRO was to pause the planned release today of the Diamond Princess cruise ship evacuees by the CDC and give the federal government the time necessary to be absolutely sure that those who are released from quarantine pose no risk to the community.
RELATED: Coronavirus Evacuees to Arrive at Lackland on Friday
Secondly, Nirenberg issued a Public Emergency Declaration, which authorizes the City to take any actions necessary to promote health and suppress disease, including quarantine. The order specifically declares that “Ingress into and travel through the City of San Antonio from Lackland by those persons that have been quarantined in the facility is not permitted. No previously quarantined person shall be permitted to enter the City of San Antonio until further notice. Effectively, the order requires the more than 120 evacuees at Lackland Air Force Base to remain on base and under quarantine.
“Especially given the release this weekend of a patient who had to be brought back into isolation after a “weakly positive” test for the virus, it is imperative that every one of the individuals at Lackland be tested and cleared before being released, as recommended by our medical community,” said Nirenberg. “If the federal government will not do the right thing in this case, the City of San Antonio will use its powers so that the appropriate measures are taken to protect the community from exposure to the COVID-19.”
The City and the U.S. Attorney’s Office participated in a hearing of the TRO in front of the U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez. Judge Rodriguez denied the TRO, however he stated in the order: “The United States Government is, in effect, washing its own hands further of this quarantine. This is disappointing.”
Jade Esteban Estrada covers public health for the San Antonio Sentinel. He can be reached at jade@sasentinel.com.