“I know I’ve seen a few flyers about the party mask. I don’t even get it,” Turner said.
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City leaders are looking for a promotion at Concrete Cowboy, a bar on Washington Avenue.
Turner was joined on Sunday by State Representative Ann Johnson at a news conference calling for the event to be canceled.
“Let’s make sure we get the vaccines in people’s arms before we open the gates and start acting like it’s okay when everything’s okay,” Turner said.
After fighting last year, he lost money every month to pursue another bar that was trying to exploit the end of a health policy, Al Jara, the owner of Marquis II, calls him irresponsible.
“I don’t need to try to actively gather people. I will most certainly give my clients a choice, but I will not promote coming here and organizing a huge meeting. I think it is incredibly irresponsible,” Jara said.
Johnson applauded those bar owners who are acting responsibly right now.
This weekend, Turner said the city of Houston exceeded 2,000 deaths due to COVID-19. He also reminded people that there are five variants of the virus in the city.
The lifting of the Texas mask mandate and the promotion of the Concrete Cowboy masquerade party have caused concern about other similar events in other states coming to Texas.
Turner said that promoters in states that are not allowed to operate 100% and are required to wear a mask promote bringing these events to cities such as Houston, Dallas and Austin.
“This poses a serious risk,” he said.
Johnson added that just because we can do something doesn’t mean we should.
“What Governor Abbott has done is give a license to irresponsible people to risk our public health when they should have their alcohol permits revoked,” she said. “So we urge all Houstonians to continue to follow healthy measures of social segregation, vaccination and actions to protect our safety.”
A pediatrician with Hermann Greater Heights Memorial Hospital was also at the briefing, urging people to continue to take preventative measures.
“Masking events that celebrate recklessness, if not the careless withdrawal of COVID-19 prevention measures, are like pouring salt over a gaping wound for health care workers in this city and this great state,” he said. Dr. Christina Propst.
She said seven percent of Texans are currently vaccinated. To achieve herd immunity, 70% of Texans must be immunized.
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