COVID surge facility nearly full, Beaumont council votes to reopen venues
Southeast Texas officials on Tuesday painted the most dire picture of the coronavirus pandemic in the region yet. A facility designated for surge capacity is already almost full and local hospitals have requested additional medical personnel and a mobile medical unit from the state to meet the demand.
Despite the fallout of growing infections, the Beaumont City Council voted 4-3 Tuesday to reopen city facilities such as the Julie Rogers Theatre and the Event Centre on or after July 31.
The vote wasn’t without a back-and-forth conversation that underscored some of the biggest issues in fighting the pandemic recently voiced by health officials — misinformation and disinformation and a lack of unified messaging from elected leaders.
The vote came almost immediately after Public Health Director Sherry Ulmer explained to the council that many of the cases causing the current spike are coming from households or private gatherings of close friends and family. She also noted her belief that government bodies need to give residents clear, united messaging because with so much information swirling, it’s easy to get confused.
Read more: https://www.beaumontenterprise.com/news/article/Jefferson-Co-Judge-COVID-surge-facility-nearly-15423178.php
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