NUECES COUNTY, Texas — As the state began to reopen last week, crowds of people stormed area beaches this weekend.
"I'm asking people enjoy, but please don't congregate in big gatherings," Nueces County Judge Barbara Canales said.
Judge Canales weighed in on the packed beaches for the county from Port Aransas to south of Bob Hall Pier. City police say it was as busy as a holiday weekend and they were prepared.
"We know that Memorial Day weekend, 4th of July and, Labor Day we're really going to be packed out there, so to speak and that's kind of what they experienced this weekend, and the past couple of weekends since the orders have been lifted now," Deputy Chief Billy Breedlove said.
Chief Breedlove says there were no complaints about social distancing despite the beaches being packed, only a couple of minor disturbance calls.
How about restaurants operating at 25% capacity on the first reopening weekend?
"We were very happily surprised they were doing a good job," city-county Health Director Annette Rodriguez said.
"They were working really hard to try to get the social distancing down right. We had our six foot measuring tapes to make sure their tables were six foot apart."
Rodriguez says her inspectors visited 250 of the 2,000 restaurants in the city and county. They weren't counting heads as much as checking on social distancing and helping owners find ways to serve 25% like putting tables outside to accommodate patrons.
"We did have questions about mariachis, they cannot go table to table to table," Rodriguez said.
She says the bands have to stay in one place and at least six feet from the customers. Rodriguez added that the county should know in a week to ten days if reopening leads to another spike in COVID-19 cases.
For the latest updates on coronavirus in the Coastal Bend, click here.
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