COLLEGE STATION, TX — Even with people sheltering in place and restrictions for everyone's safety, the number of coronavirus cases is rising.
A week ago, city and county officials issued shelter-in-place orders with the hope that the restrictions would flatten the curve of COVID-19 cases in Central Texas.
"What we are seeing right now is the very tip of the iceberg," explains Mayor Karl Mooney of College Station. "Sheltering in place is designed to be able to flatten that curve, that peak if you will, that we are expecting to come later in the next two to three months."
Since the shelter-in-place order was issued, the number of cases in Brazos County alone have nearly quadrupled.
"We want to be able to instead of hitting a possible peak of 15,000 we want to try and bring that peak down to about 5,000, " explains Mayor Mooney. "At 5,000 we can provide the medial care necessary, with a little buffering from what we have right now, but to serve the citizens of the Brazos Valley adequately."
With multiple deaths across Central Texas, there is a sense of urgency among city officials to act faster to flatten the curve of COVID-19 cases, said Bryan Mayor, Andrew Nelson.
"The biggest concern that I have is that people don't understand that there is a 14 day lag between the decisions we make to change our behavior and anything in the numbers," says Mayor Nelson.
Under the shelter-in-place orders, residents are ordered to stay at home.
College Station Public Information Officer Tristan Lopez explained that local law enforcement are working with the city to make sure the shelter in place order is being followed.
"The current order says you can only leave your home to engage in these essential activities and businesses," says Lopez. "It does allow for some recreation. So, you can leave your house to go for a walk, to walk your dog, to ride a bike, and you can carry out those activities in a public park."
Though there are exceptions to the shelter in place order, Mayor Mooney says it is important that it is followed to avoid a citywide lock down.
"If we get to a point that we that our hospitals are approaching that point at which they will be overwhelmed and we don't seem to be able to to slow down, that will be the point that we seriously will have to make that decision, " explained Mayor Mooney.
