August 29, 2020
COVID-19 Cases At Texas State University On The Rise Just One Week After Classes Resume.
By: RéJean Allen
The first week of classes at Texas State University has come to an end. Classes resumed for the fall semester on August 24, 2020 and a lot has happened since then. According to the Texas State University dashboard, between August 24 and August 28, 2020, Texas State University has reported 35 new cases of COVID-19 with 17 of those cases occurring on August 28th alone. This is not surprising considering they decided to bring students back to campus in the middle of a pandemic, on top of housing freshman in on-campus dorms. The 35 people that tested positive for COVID-19 this week more than likely came in contact with other students. The cases on campus will continue to rise due to the extreme negligence of many students at Texas State University living on and off campus. A quick drive around the City of San Marcos shows just how little respect some college students have for their fellow citizens. Included in this article you will see photos sent to me from concerned students witnessing these parties and mass gatherings. You can also email me pictures & videos of what you see around campus at Rejeanlevell@gmail.com.
Below is an image taken on August 28, 2020 from the Avenue at San Marcos of a beer pong party.
Since the return of students to San Marcos, there has been huge parties and gatherings at student living apartment complexes almost every weekend. On top of these parties, the Texas Alcohol Beverage Commission has allowed bars to reopen as restaurants, as long as they sell food and have a place to store the food properly. This change by the TABC has given many bars in San Marcos the go on opening up and packing their bars back up with students. Many people like to argue that bars will not spread COVID-19 in their city, but in a college town like San Marcos, bars are definitely the culprit. Every city is different and may require different actions towards the fight against COVID-19, so it should be up to local governments to control what is allowed to be open in their city during this pandemic. As long as these parties and large social gatherings are happening in San Marcos, the cases at Texas State University will continue to rise. It would not be shocking if in a month or two, Texas State University starts to show a major increase in cases. So, when you see your fellow peers out partying and going to large gatherings, remember, what happens at Texas State University when it comes to COVID-19 will also affect the City of San Marcos.
Below is a picture of Louie's Bar Garden in San Marcos, showing very little social distancing and zero masks.
