Some Cowboy Christmas visitors ignored mask rules. Here’s what the city is doing about it
For the past week, the Fort Worth Convention Center has had a different look. For stretches, all you’ll see is the top of Cowboy hats amid sound of country music.
And that’s because the center has been filled with thousands of people attending the Cowboy Christmas event, where hundreds of vendors are selling Western gear as part of the events related to the National Finals Rodeo that started Dec. 3 and continues through Saturday.
Hosting this large-scale event during a pandemic means safety measures are put in place to help slow the spread of the novel coronavirus: temperature checks, face masks requirements, sanitizing high-touch areas and limiting occupancy.
But that doesn’t mean everyone is complying.
About one quarter of the estimated 350 to 400 visitors seen by a Star-Telegram reporter between 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Wednesday were incorrectly wearing their mask or not wearing one at all. At one point, an event staffer asked people to put their face coverings on.
Diana Cervantes, director of HSC Fort Worth’s epidemiology department, said there is a risk of spread when people attend a large-scale event indoors. Factors such as who you’re with, how long you stay and how far you are from others play a role in how risky these events are.
Mike Crum, the city’s public events director, said the city has made sure that everyone who attends a National Finals Rodeo event knows they must wear a face covering. This includes signs, announcements and staff reminding people that masks are required.
“I don’t think anybody walks into these buildings and doesn’t understand what we’re trying to accomplish,” Crum said.
Mitch Whitten, executive vice president of marketing for Visit Fort Worth, said the tourism bureau has distributed more than 500,000 masks as part of the city’s initiative to have a safe event.
But, like what has been happening with the mask mandate, some people will take their mask off once inside a venue, Crum said. In response, his team has ramped up efforts to encourage people to wear masks. At this point, no one has been kicked out of an event for not wearing a mask and there has been no combativeness from anyone when asked to put a mask on, he said.
City officials have seen more and more people comply with the mask mandate and he believes it has to do with the city’s efforts, he said.
Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley said he spoke to Mayor Betsy Price about Fort Worth doing everything it can to get people to wear a mask, but he’s still seen a lot of pictures with people not doing that during the events.
Whitley said it is frustrating to know that people have come into Tarrant County from other states or counties and could infect those in the Fort Worth and Tarrant communities, especially during a time when hospitalizations are at an all-time high.
In the week ending Dec. 5, the county reported 11,270 cases On Wednesday, the county reported 890 hospitalized with COVID-19, six shy of the pandemic high of 896 on Dec. 1.
Wearing a face covering is one of the tools people have to combat the virus, but masks can be ineffective if people are not following social distancing rules, Cervantes said.
There were sanitizing stations throughout the Fort Worth Convention Center and space for people to distance, but in some instances, people were less than six feet apart and clustered at vendor sites.
Cervantes said it’s important to remember masks aren’t magic. Just because you wear one doesn’t mean you’re safe. And on the other side of it, people who didn’t wear a mask weren’t just depriving protection for themselves, but for everyone around them.
Cervantes said usually when people go to an event like Cowboy Christmas, they don’t just stop there. They might go out to eat or visit other attractions in the city, which can cause outbreaks.
But with any event that brings people together, the risk of infection becomes higher, she said. If you were to attend this event, Cervantes suggests always wearing a mask, go during non-peak times and don’t stay more than you need to.
Vinny Taneja, the Tarrant County Public Health Director, did not immediately respond to an interview request.
Taneja released a statement on Wednesday after the first child died of COVID-19 in Tarrant County and he again urged residents to avoid all non-essential trips, wear a mask, avoid group gatherings, and to wash their hands regularly.
“We ask now more than ever that our community act to protect themselves and their loved ones,” he said.
