GALVESTON, Texas — The beautiful beach weather this weekend has drawn thousands to the water once again.
Visitors undeterred by the possibility of viral spread of the coronavirus waited in bumper-to-bumper traffic to get to the sand on Surfside. And they flocked to the beaches along Galveston's Seawall.
180,000 people vehicles crossed the
“My concern is what’s happening in Galveston is what’s happening elsewhere across Southeast Texas, is that people are relaxing social distancing to a much greater extent than I would thought they might given to the limited opening of the economy," said Baylor College of Medicine dean Peter Hotez, M.D.
Hotez said the images from Galveston this weekend are a reason for concern.
“The risk, of course, is that we could see a resurgence of COVID-19 in a big way. It won’t happen right away but we could see it later this summer or fall," Hotez said.
The Galveston County Health District recommends beach visitors continue to use 6 feet of social separation now that public beaches have reopened.
Health officials said the number of positive COVID-19 cases is rising after a recent dip.
They say the number of tests performed has been consistent since about mid-April.
They say they aren’t sure if the increase is a result of community spread.
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