McAllen Mayor Jim Darling announced Wednesday that since people won’t stop going to the Palm View Golf Course, it’s closed until further notice.
The city of McAllen, like Hidalgo County and other municipalities from Starr to Cameron counties, has banned gatherings of 10 or more people.
There is also a shelter-in-place order in Hidalgo County, prohibiting people who are not deemed essential from leaving their homes unless the reason is medical or because supplies are needed.
McAllen City Manager Roel “Roy” Rodriguez said the closure is for the safety of the public and the city’s employees.
“In light of the amount of traffic we continued to see, and the fact that players were congregating in certain areas, it is best to close the golf course for the safety of the public and our employees,” Rodriguez said in a release.
The closure comes on the heels of increasing frustration expressed by county judges in Hidalgo and Cameron that residents were not following shelter-in-place orders.
Hidalgo County Judge Richard F. Cortez said in a release Tuesday he is considering stronger enforcement orders because he is concerned not enough people are following the shelter-in-place order.
“We know there is a tsunami coming,” Cortez said in a news release Tuesday. “It hasn’t hit us yet. If there is anything we can do to mitigate this, it is stronger enforcement on the orders.”
Cameron County Judge Eddie Treviño also referenced possible stronger enforcement during a Tuesday news conference, including checkpoints.
“Is somebody going to actually have to lose their life in Cameron County so that all of you who don’t want to abide by the shelter-in-place rule will actually stay at home? Or does it have to be one of your family members to get sick? … We’re trying to get ahead of this. There is no cure,” he said.
