The city managers in Bryan and College Station both expect citizens to abide by new bans on limiting public gatherings to fewer than ten people and closing restaurant dining areas and bars.
The city manager in Bryan, Kean Register, says there are no plans to have their officers patrolling for violators.
College Station city manager Bryan Woods says police and code enforcement will be proactively looking and responding to complaints.
Woods says if needed, College Station will examine additional measures if citizens do not limit interaction with others as promoted by government and health officials.
Violators of the new bans in College Station and Bryan on public gatherings, bars, and restaurant dining areas are subject to fines of up to $1,000 dollars.
Click below for interviews with College Station city manager Bryan Woods and Bryan deputy city manager Hugh Walker.
Listen to “Coronavirus update with Bryan deputy city manager Hugh Walker” on Spreaker.
Joint news release from the cities of College Station and Bryan:
Effective 9 p.m. tonight (Wednesday, March 18), all bars and restaurant dining rooms in Bryan and College Station will be ordered to close to further reduce the possibility of exposure to COVID-19. Restaurants may still provide take-out, drive-thru, delivery and curbside pickup service under this order.
Additionally, public gatherings of more than 10 people are now prohibited, per guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the declarations of disasters enacted locally on Tuesday.
These orders will remain in effect as long as there remains a declaration of disaster in the two cities.
The additional restrictions were agreed upon Wednesday by leadership in both cities after consulting the Brazos County Health District and the Bryan-College Station Independent Restaurant Group, which represents dozens of local restaurants that employ more than 1,000 workers.
Brazos County Health District response: “The best way to protect the residents of Brazos County from COVID-19 is for restaurants to make these changes to their business model because they align with guidelines provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and by the Texas Department of State Health Services, Bob Lamkin, environmental health manager for the Brazos County Health District, said. “In addition, bars, gyms, and other entertainment venues should also close at this time.”
Bryan-College Station Independent Restaurant Group response: “As ambassadors of the culinary culture of Bryan-College Station, it’s our responsibility to provide a safe and healthy environment for all residents. That includes our patrons and our staff. We understand that closing down the dining rooms is a prudent move to ensure that we can provide the safest kitchens to bring you food during this time,” Kristy Petty, representative of the BCS Independent Restaurant Group, said. “All members of our group are committing to follow the government regulations handed down, we will make sure our employees are asymptomatic when they come to work and will continue superior sanitization practices. We believe we will all get through this together.”
Response from College Station Mayor Karl Mooney: “We understand that these actions are painful to our business community, but we also know these actions work to help prevent the spread of this virus,” College Station Mayor Karl Mooney said. “Along with our partners in the community, we will be exploring all options for helping these businesses weather this unprecedented event.”
Response from Bryan Mayor Andrew Nelson: “The cities of Bryan and College Station are working together to do everything we can to keep our most vulnerable populations protected,” said Bryan Mayor Andrew Nelson. “Until health officials say it is safe to do so, we will not consider lifting these restrictions. Until then, we encourage everyone to support the small businesses in our community as we work to create opportunities to assist the businesses through this difficult situation.”