File photo
File photo
The Rio Grande Valley is seeing an uptick in COVID-19 cases and now city officials are mandating that all residents cover their faces when they go out in public.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, the virus can spread easily when people are in close proximity to each and at least 25 percent of people with the virus show no symptoms.
The CDC is not requiring people to wear medical-grade masks like the N95 but they do recommend cloth coverings over the nose and mouth for people that plan on leaving their homes.
As of April 16, Texas reported 16,455 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, including 394 deaths. Hidalgo County has 225 cases of COVID-19, while Starr has seven and Zapata has four. Some of the cities reporting COVID-19 positive cases are Alamo, Donna, Hidalgo, La Joya, McAllen, Mercedes, Mission and San Juan.
Eddie Olivarez, the chief administrator of Hidalgo County’s Health and Human Services Department said he believes many of the COVID-19 cases in Hidalgo County are related, according to The Monitor.
“Health officials now believe they are seeing 13 different clusters of infection that emanated from people who contracted the virus earlier but have since spread it to others,” Olivarez said.
Starr County officials advise that anyone who travels outside the Rio Grande Valley or Zapata County must go into quarantine for 14 days upon their return.
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