SAN ANTONIO — For the next several weeks, Wear The Gown will be focusing on the importance of wearing a mask to keep coronavirus from spreading.
We're introducing you to a citywide campaign called "Why I Wear A Mask SA," and explaining why we need you to get involved.
Once San Antonio and Bexar County started opening back up, coronavirus numbers started climbing.
The city's COVID-19 Progress and Warning Indicators website shows the number of positive patients in hospitals surged from 108 on June 10 to 518 on June 23, and the percentage of positive tests skyrocketed from 3.6 percent before Memorial Day to 16.9 percent just a few weeks later. These numbers are not a good sign.
"For me, it makes me alarmed that we are going up instead of downward," said Tommye Austin, who is a senior vice president and chief nurse executive for University Health System.
She says we can't let our guard down yet.
"We are all tired of COVID-19 and the restrictions that we've had to deal with, but seeing the surge in patients, we know that we are not over the battle yet," she said.
One huge step in winning that battle, and a simple one, is to wear a mask.
"Wearing a mask or masking is not a political issue, it is a patient safety or a public safety issue," Austin said. "I have seen the ramifications of not wearing a mask, and I have seen it for prevention of disease by wearing one."
They've done their part. Now we want you to do yours, San Antonio. Tell us who you're wearing a mask for and why with three easy steps.
1. Take a selfie and share it on social media.
2. In the caption, tell us why you wear a mask.
3. Be sure to include #WhyIWearAMaskSA in the post, or you can share it with us on the home page of the KENS 5 app. We'll be showing your pictures and videos on air and online.
For more information about family health, call 210-358-3045. You can also find the rest of our Wear The Gown stories at WearTheGown.com.
You can follow the coronavirus numbers in San Antonio and Bexar County on the city's COVID-19 website.