Is he great or what?
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner is urging city residents to forgo traditional Thanksgiving gatherings this year due to rising COVID-19 rates and has announced the cancelation of the city’s annual Thanksgiving parade.
At a Monday press conference, Turner said the local positivity rate had increased from a low of 5.6 percent several weeks ago to 7.9 percent last week.
The health departments for both the city and Harris County have issued guidelines for celebrating the holidays which urge residents to have small dinners with fellow household members only. The county suggests small outdoor gatherings with additional family carry moderate risk, while large indoor gatherings “with individuals from outside of your household” is a high-risk activity that should be avoided.
Turner also reminded residents that masks are mandatory in the city, and that police will issue citations carrying a $250 fine to those not masking after a warning.
Noting that Houston’s COVID-19 rates were lower than West Texas and many other areas of the country, Turner also discouraged travel over the holidays, especially to COVID-19 hotspots, and suggested families should avoid inviting guests from out of town to attend Thanksgiving meals.
“Don’t invite COVID to your Thanksgiving dinner.”
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo last week also cited rising numbers in the area and advocated for new lockdown orders, but lamented that she had been “stripped of the authority” to act and said she hoped that the federal government would intervene soon.
Mayor of Houston Sylvester Turner speaks onstage ahead of the third Democratic primary debate of the 2020 presidential campaign season hosted by ABC News in partnership with Univision at Texas Southern University in Houston, Texas on September 12, 2019. (Photo by Robyn Beck / AFP) (Photo credit should read ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images)