County Reports Fifth Case of COVID-19, Extends Disaster Declaration

Comal County reported its fifth case of COVID-19 on Tuesday, just hours after Commissioners Court extended indefinitely a disaster declaration issued last week by County Judge Sherman Krause.

The case is travel-related and was confirmed overnight Monday to Comal County’s Office of Public Health. The patient is in their 50s, lives in New Braunfels and has self-quarantined.

Public Health is investigating the patient’s recent history to determine those with whom they have had direct contact and will notify those people about the steps they need to take, Comal County said in a press release.

Two of the four individuals who tested positive earlier in Comal County have been symptom-free for the past seven days and were declared recovered then released from isolation on Tuesday, March 24.

As of 7 p.m. Monday, March 23, 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.

Public Health Director Cheryl Fraser will update commissioners about the coronavirus at their regularly scheduled meeting on Thursday, March 26. A special hotline staffed by her office has received 936 calls since March 16.

The county’s Public Information Officer, Paul Anthony, said a “shelter-in-place” measure is not on the agenda for that meeting. However Krause, who signed the disaster declaration last week, can declare an order at any time to slow the spread of COVID-19.

On Monday, San Antonio and Bexar County officials ordered residents to shelter in place for nearly three weeks to slow the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We are closely monitoring this constantly evolving situation so we can continue to take the steps appropriate to Comal County’s needs,” Krause said on Tuesday, March 24. “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.”

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.

At today’s special Commissioners Court meeting, which did not stream online due to a technical glitch, commissioners also listened to brief presentations from the district attorney’s office and the county’s human resources department about the implications of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act” (H.R. 6201), signed into law by U.S. President Donald Trump on March 18, for Comal County. The law goes into effect on April 3.

To see the agenda for the Thursday, March 26 Commissioners Court meeting, click here.

Information about confirmed cases in Comal County is 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.