FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, MARCH 24, 2020:
Contact:
Paul A. Anthony, Public Information Officer
830.221.1110, anthop@co.comal.tx.us
NEW BRAUNFELS — Commissioners Court on Tuesday extended indefinitely a disaster declaration initially issued last week; meanwhile, a fifth positive case of COVID-19 has been confirmed in Comal County.
The case is travel-related and was confirmed overnight Monday to the Office of Public Health. The patient is in their 50s, lives in New Braunfels and has self-quarantined.
Comal County’s Office of Public Health is investigating the patient’s recent history in order to determine those with whom they have had direct contact, and will notify those people about the steps they need to take.
Two of the previous four positive cases in Comal County have been free of symptoms for the past seven days; they were declared recovered and released from isolation Tuesday.
In a special meeting Tuesday morning, Commissioners Court unanimously voted to extend the disaster declaration issued Wednesday in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Extending the declaration lengthens the window during which the county can seek state and federal resources, as well as leaving open the possibility of issuing emergency orders.
“We are closely monitoring this constantly evolving situation so we can continue to take the steps appropriate to Comal County’s needs,” said County Judge Sherman Krause. “We’re grateful for the many people who have followed the governor’s orders mandating social distancing, and we encourage everyone to continue following those orders to help keep our community as healthy as possible.”
As of 7 p.m. Monday, Comal County had received reports of 78 COVID-19 tests conducted, including the five positive results. Twenty-five results are still pending, and 48 tests were negative.
Information about the confirmed cases available at the county’s COVID-19 webpage, www.comalcountytx.com/covid19.
Residents with questions or concerns about the novel coronavirus can call the county’s dedicated COVID-19 hotline, 830-221-1120, between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Thus far, the Office of Public Health has fielded nearly 1,000 calls on the hotline.
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