'It’s time for everyone to remain calm'

Hays County and the City of San Marcos issued a joint State of Disaster declaration Sunday after a 44-year-old county resident tested positive for COVID-19. 

The county made the announcement Saturday that it had its first case of the coronavirus and confirmed two additional cases in Hays County on Monday. With a state of disaster, the county and city will be able to access state and federal funds to aid response to COVID-19. 

“I am leading a plan that is locally executed, state coordinated and federally supported,” County Judge Ruben Becerra. “This declaration … is to stay ahead of things and also to solidify and open up other channels of resources to keep us ahead. We’re doing the best thing we can by doing this.”

San Marcos Mayor Jane Hughson said the city has been working on the collaborative response with the county for weeks. The state of disaster declaration activates the city’s emergency plan and will allow the city to allocate resources to utilize all disaster funding and resources available through state and federal agencies. 

“We knew we would eventually see cases in our area,” Hughson said. “There is no reason to panic. It’s time for everyone to remain calm and to continue to practice preventive measures. We’re prepared to take the actions necessary to keep our community safe … We’re in this together and we’ll get past this together with our coordinated effort.” 

The Hays County resident who first tested positive for COVID-19 traveled to multiple cities on the United States West Coast where they are believed to have been exposed to the illness.

The resident reported their symptoms to the Hays County Local Health Department upon arriving back to Central Texas. The patient was admitted to a local hospital and later released. The county said the patient will self-quarantine until they are symptom-free for 48 hours without use of fever-reducing medication.

Hays County Epidemiologist Eric Schneider said that the patient did not have any other contact with a county resident. 

“Upon arriving back to Hays County, they were in the county for just a couple of hours, they were already symptomatic and running a fever,” Schneider said. “They reached out to me and checked all the boxes so we made sure that we got them into a local hospital. The hospital had all the proper procedures in place. They met them outside and snuck them through a side door to not get them in contact with anyone in the lobby … I just want to reiterate that at no point did this person come in contact with a Hays County resident, so the threat to the public is extremely low if not non-existent at all.”

Schneider is currently working with Center for Disease Control to help notify the passengers that were potentially exposed while on the plane with the patient.

The second patient tested positive at a clinic and is self-quarantine at home. There was no additional information provided about the third case. 

Although the threat of COVID-19 may currently be low, county and city officials stressed the importance of practicing social distancing and continuing to wash hands thoroughly and avoid going out if you're sick.  

“I will share with you that although the risk of severe illness may be low, we want every resident in this county to take personal responsibility to prevent the spread,” Becerra said.