Comal County closes county parks; third coronavirus death reported

CONVERSE, Tex. (KTSA News) — Comal County announced Wednesday it is closing its county-owned boat ramps at Canyon Lake and at four county-owned parks through Easter Sunday.

The county said the order goes into effect at 5 p.m. Thursday and expires at 5 p.m. Tuesday.

“We have continued to see a lot of traffic at our boat ramps even as most residents have undertaken social distancing measures in compliance with state and county stay at home orders,” Comal County Judge Sherman Krause said in a statement. “This order provides law enforcement additional tools to enforce these orders at places where people might otherwise congregate and spread the coronavirus.”

The county owns Curry Nature Center and Hidden Valley Sports Park in the Canyon Lake area and Kleck Park and Jumbo Evans Sports Park in the Bulverde/Spring Branch area.  It also owns nine boat ramps on Canyon Lake.

Comal County also confirmed its third coronavirus related death Wednesday and two additional positive cases.  The case total in the county is now 29.

The county said a man in his 80s from Bulverde with underlying medical conditions died Tuesday night at a hospital in San Antonio.

“Our prayers and condolences are with this man’s loved ones,” said County Judge Krause. “Each death is a tragic loss to our community and reinforces the need to stay home and stay safe to help slow and stop the spread of coronavirus in Comal County.”

The two new cases are in New Braunfels and Bulverde.  One patient is in their 40s and the other is in their 50s — both are isolated at home.

The locations of confirmed cases in the county:

• 11 in New Braunfels and immediate area
• 5 in the Bulverde area
• 5 in eastern Comal County
• 3 in an area north of Canyon Lake
• 2 in an area south of Canyon Lake
• 1 in Fair Oaks Ranch
• 1 in southwestern Comal County
• 1 in central Comal County