SAN ANTONIO — It was a dreary-looking yet lively Sunday afternoon in downtown San Antonio as hundreds of people crowded Alamo Plaza and packed the River Walk.
Brandon Jackson, visiting from Houston, said it reminds him of the pre-pandemic days when people didn’t wear masks and had zero awareness of social distancing.
“It’s kind of good to see people to kind of go back to normal but at the same time you still gotta take your precautions in certain areas,” Jackson said.
The CDC’s relaxed guidelines greenlit fully-vaccinated people to go without face coverings in most settings. Jackson, while not vaccinated, isn’t ruling anything out just yet.
“I’m still not too sure, I gotta do my research. If I’m in close, close quarters, somewhere where there’s a lot of people in close, I’m wearing my mask but if it’s kind of openly more free, then I kind of prefer not to wear my mask,” Jackson said.
Nearly 40% of Americans are fully-vaccinated, according to the CDC. The seven-day average of new coronavirus cases dropped below 30,000 this week, the lowest since last June.
These national numbers aren’t comforting enough for Amy Perez, who knows firsthand how deadly the virus can be, devastating loved ones.
“I’ve lost a cousin and an aunt,” Perez said.
It’s been awhile since Perez has been downtown because of her fears surrounding the coronavirus.
“I’m really only here because friends came in, but they’re all vaccinated, they’re all wearing their mask. But it’s scary because there are so many crowds and there’s just people not wearing it and again, they could be vaccinated and that’s fine, but I don’t know,” Perez said.
Health experts indicate the vaccine is working but the coronavirus remains a viable threat. Vaccinated or not, everyone is urged to keep vigilant.