PHOTO: Firefighter EMT Franco Rodriguez waits at the entrance of 700 Main Center to provide masks to visitors.
Three Victoria Police Department employees and one Victoria Fire Department employee are recovering at home after testing positive for COVID-19 this week.
The Victoria County Public Health Department is working to identify contacts who may have been exposed to these employees. Anyone found to have had a high-risk exposure will be contacted as soon as possible. The police department employees did not work in close proximity with one another, and none of the employees who tested positive interacted regularly with members of the public.
The new cases bring the total number of City of Victoria employees who have tested positive to nine. Two have recovered, and a total of seven are recovering at home.
The City of Victoria is working to limit the transmission of COVID-19 between employees, including by providing no-cost testing to employees who worked closely with those who tested positive and requiring these close contacts to self-isolate at home.
The City on June 29 began requiring all visitors and employees at City facilities to wear facial coverings if social distancing is not feasible. City staff are stationed at the entrances of 700 Main Center, the Victoria Public Library, City Hall and the Victoria Municipal Court to provide disposable masks to visitors who are not already wearing facial coverings.
The new rule aligns with an order signed June 25 by Mayor Rawley McCoy that went into effect June 29. The order was amended July 1 to clarify that children under the age of 2 and people with certain health conditions are exempt.
In order to further limit exposure among members of the public, all City of Victoria splash pads and basketball courts will close starting Friday and remain closed until further notice.
Victoria County is currently experiencing a high rate of community transmission of COVID-19, and residents are strongly advised to abide by public health recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. These include avoiding large groups, maintaining six feet of distance from others and wearing facial coverings in public.
For more information about COVID-19, click here or call the local COVID-19 hotline at 361-580-5796.