Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff has asked the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo’s board chair to delay the event until local COVID-19 case numbers decline further.
In a letter sent Monday to Rodeo Chairwoman Nancy Loeffler, Wolff asked that she consider pushing back the start date from February 11. While local coronavirus hospitalizations are declining, the county is still tallying roughly 1,400 new infections daily, and more contagious variants raise the risk of large gatherings, he added.
“I suggested [to rodeo officials over the weekend] that it would be best to postpone the rodeo for now,” Wolff wrote. “With attendance at 4,000 each night, some 56,000 people will attend over the 14-day rodeo.”
Rodeo officials weren’t immediately available for comment. However, spokeswoman Lauren Sides told the San Antonio Report that her organization takes pandemic safety measures seriously. Its procedures exceed local and state health guidelines, she added.
Wolff noted in his correspondence that Austin and Fort Worth have already canceled their rodeos. What’s more, Houston delayed its event from March to May.
The judge sent his letter the same day as the Fiesta Commission announced it would postpone San Antonio’s 11-day citywide party from April to June.
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This article appears in Jan 27 – Feb 9, 2021.
