WATCH: San Angelo Officials Grapple with COVID-19 and Local Economy

SAN ANGELO, TX — Following Governor Greg Abbott’s declaration on Thursday, March 19, limiting gatherings to less than 10 people, the City of San Angelo has continued and amended its Declaration of Disaster to enforce these requirements.

Under this declaration, 10 or more people may not gather together at the same time in a single confined space. This includes public gatherings, as well as private functions. It will go into effect midnight March 20 through midnight April 3 but may be continued beyond that date.

This new restriction applies to restaurants and bars, with the exception of carry-out or delivery services. It also applies to events such as weddings, funerals, parties, sporting events, conferences and religious services.

This does not apply to spaces such as airports, transit facilities, government buildings providing essential services, grocery stores and pharmacies, hospitals, medical offices and businesses that sell items necessary for home and automotive repair. In these exclusions, rules for social distancing, provision of hand sanitizer and increased cleaning apply.

The City of San Angelo will not be cutting off water services to any citizen during this time. Public access to City buildings will be closed in order to limit person-to-person contact.

As a reminder, any positive case of coronavirus will be confirmed through the City Public Health Department and distributed to the public via the City Public Information office. All updates will be posted on the City website at cosatx.us and on the City of San Angelo, Texas Facebook page.

While San Angelo currently has zero reported cases of COVID-19, we want to ensure that we’re taking measures to prevent any spread of the disease should a positive case arise. This is a community effort that will require every citizen’s compliance to put an end to this pandemic.

Shannon Medical Center, San Angelo Independent School District and Goodfellow Air Force Base have provided updates that are outlined below.

Shannon Medical Center

Shannon has set up a dedicated COVID-19 hotline, 844-6-SHANNON (844-674-2666), to help address concerns from our patients and the community. This number is available from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Individuals with questions regarding screening or testing for COVID-19 can call and get connected to a clinical provider who can answer questions and direct them to next steps. This line can also answer questions about other services at Shannon during this time. We are also updating information real-time on our website at shannonhealth.com. Patients may find the latest information regarding our free COVID-19 virtual screenings, testing sites, visitation policies and any service changes.

San Angelo Independent School District

Given the rapidly evolving situation with COVID-19, Gov. Greg Abbott's executive order, and recommendations from our local CDC and healthcare officials, San Angelo ISD will extend the suspension of normal district operations through Friday, April 10 in an effort to support our nation’s need to slow the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19).

SAISD Superintendent Dr. Carl Dethloff has been meeting with City officials and elected leaders to discuss what is best for the health and safety of the community of San Angelo. Suspending operations for this length of time will allow us to determine, in coordination with local health officials, whether the virus is spreading within our community or if it has been contained. We have received 776 responses to our Travel Reporting form from staff and families, many of whom have traveled to areas of high-exposure, counties with confirmed cases present, or are concerned they have been in contact with someone who has been exposed. With all this in mind, San Angelo ISD wants to assist our community in following reasonable precautions to prevent the spread of the illness, including the need to implement social distancing protocol.

In preparation for children and faculty to be away from campuses, the team at San Angelo ISD has created a robust virtual learning platform to help support our students and staff. We are excited to launch this virtual learning platform. Parents will receive more information from their child’s campus no later than the end of this week.

Free grab-and-go meal service will continue to be provided throughout this extended closure.

San Angelo ISD will be offering medication pick-up times for any parents needing to collect medication left at school. For more information, please visit saisd.org.

This is a quickly changing situation, and we will continue to monitor information, will assess conditions throughout the coming weeks and will provide periodic updates via our website, SwiftK12, and social media platforms. If there is a need to extend the closure beyond April 10, we will notify families no later than Monday, April 6.

Thank you for your support and cooperation as we ensure that all members of the community in San Angelo ISD stay safe and healthy.

Goodfellow Air Force Base:

Out of a strong abundance of caution, Goodfellow Air Force Base has raised its risk level to Health Protection Condition Bravo (HPCON B).

For all Goodfellow AFB personnel:

• Continue strict hygiene
• Cover mouths and noses with a tissue/sleeve when coughing or sneezing

HPCON B measures are mandatory for service members and are highly encouraged for DoD civilian and contractor employees, and family members. These measures are required to ensure the continued health and safety for our Goodfellow Air Force Base service members, civilians and families.