Local leaders and health experts are pushing for events to be canceled

HOUSTON – People in Lone Star state will no longer have to wear face covers and businesses will open 100% starting Wednesday. With the new order, Mayor Sylvester Turner and other elected officials are concerned about “superspreader events,” such as “mask-off” parties in the Houston area.

“We are not the dump for events that endanger Texans and cause people to lose their lives,” said Turner.

Gov. Greg Abbott said the state has continued to improve in the fight against the coronavirus, with the latest Texas positivity rate being 7%. He added that the positivity rate is the lowest in five months and the number of hospital admissions is declining.

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But on Sunday, Turner, along with other health and elected officials, gathered to condemn a local bar and other businesses from hosting “mask off” events. They said it is not the time to party and have big gatherings.

Concrete Cowboy, a bar located on Washington Avenue, will host a ‘mask off’ party on Wednesday, the same day the statewide mask order will end.

KPRC 2 has contacted the property for comment, but our calls have not been answered.

Several leaders said the event is a slap in the face for those who have worked on the front lines.

“Masking events, celebrating the reckless if not negligent rollback of COVID-19 prevention measures, is like pouring salt into a gaping wound for health workers,” said Dr. Christina Propst, a pediatrician.

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Health workers joined the city leaders, urging people to remain vigilant and continue to follow COVID 19 guidelines.

“The hard part is we are really tired of it, but we are not tired of the infection and we are not done yet,” said Dr. Bich-May Nguyen, a physician and board member of Doctors for America.

State Representative Ann Johnson said the superspreader events will begin the fourth wave of COVID-19 in the Houston area.

“It will endanger the lives of these health workers, those who work in the nightclubs, the customers and the community members in this neighborhood,” she said.

Turner said the city has crossed the 2,000 mark for the number of people who have died from COVID-19. He said more cases are being reported every day.

“Keep in mind that there are 5 variants in the city of Houston, and they are moving at a fast pace,” he said.

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Turner said until more people are vaccinated, now is not the time to abandon our guards.

“And what I would say with all due respect to the governor, there’s nothing wrong with stepping back and turning back and going against the mask mandate again,” he said.

Propst said about 7% of Texans have been vaccinated. While to achieve herd immunity, 70% of Texans need the vaccine.

Here’s the full press with local officials and health experts on Sunday, March 7: