Everything we know about the coronavirus in San Antonio

Tension between San Antonio politicians and federal officials over coronavirus evacuees quarantined at JBSA-Lackland boiled over after an individual who had been released later tested positive for the virus after visiting a landmark San Antonio mall. less Tension between San Antonio politicians and federal officials over coronavirus evacuees quarantined at JBSA-Lackland boiled over after an individual who had been released later tested positive for the virus ... more Photo: KIN MAN HUI, SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS Photo: KIN MAN HUI, SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS Image 1 of / 96 Caption Close Everything we know about the coronavirus in San Antonio 1 / 96 Back to Gallery

The first evacuees from Wuhan, the Chinese city where the coronavirus outbreak began, arrived at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland on Feb. 7.

Since then, the city has played host to another group of evacuees from a cruise ship, sparking tension between local politicians and federal officials, and community concerns after an individual who tested positive for coronavirus visited a busy shopping center.

The city is under a state of public emergency issued by Mayor Ron Nirenberg.

"To date, we have zero community transmission in this city," Nirenberg said. "We want to keep it that way."

The virus has already caused a court battle, the recall of students studying abroad and a run on supplies at local stores.

Going forward, the virus could affect major events like the upcoming South By Southwest festival.

Here's what we know about the coronavirus in San Antonio:

The timeline

On Feb. 1, 91 evacuees who had flown on a chartered plane from Wuhan landed at Lackland for a 14-day federal quarantine.

One of those evacuees tested positive for the virus on Feb. 12 and was hospitalized. The other 90 individuals were released from quarantine on Feb. 20.

On Feb. 7, 144 passengers from the coronavirus-ridden Diamond Princess cruise ship arrived at Lackland. Ten of those evacuees eventually tested positive for the virus.

A total of 127 evacuees from the ship were allowed to head home on March 3.

READ MORE: A timeline of coronavirus in San Antonio

The remaining evacuees

On Tuesday afternoon, Nirenberg detailed the number of individuals still under quarantine in San Antonio.

There were seven people from the cruise ship still isolated at Lackland.

Eleven people, including two evacuees from Wuhan, remained at the Texas Center for Infectious Disease.

No further groups of evacuees are expected to be brought to San Antonio, Nirenberg said.

READ MORE: Quarantine lifted for 127 Diamond Princess evacuees

The mistaken release

An evacuee from Wuhan who had been under quarantine was released Saturday from the TCID but then turned up positive for the coronavirus after having had contact with the public.

The woman told health officials she went to a Holiday Inn near San Antonio International Airport and spent about two hours at North Star Mall. She stopped by Dillard’s, Talbot’s and Swarovski, before eating alone in the food court.

Officials with the Metropolitan Health District said they have identified at least 21 people who could have been exposed to the virus.

North Star Mall re-opened Tuesday after closing temporarily Monday for deep cleaning.

READ MORE: North Star Mall re-opens after coronavirus exposure led to deep cleaning

The court battle

The city of San Antonio went into court Monday and unsuccessfully sought a temporary restraining order to stop the federal government from releasing more than 120 coronavirus evacuees from quarantine at Lackland.

In its court filing, the city argued that allowing those quarantined to leave Monday, as scheduled, would threaten public safety. U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez denied the request, noting that the federal government’s determination that a 14-day quarantine and two negative tests for the virus are "sufficient to prevent transmission or spread of COVID-19."

READ MORE: San Antonio, Bexar County in battle with the CDC over evacuees in coronavirus quarantine

The release

A total of 127 evacuees from the Diamond Princess cruise ship were released Tuesday from their quarantine at Lackland.

The city said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which has overseen the quarantine, modified its protocols and provided a plan that satisfied local officials’ concerns about the departure.

Some evacuees were bused directly to San Antonio International Airport in small groups based on their flight times.

There, they were met by airport employees who assisted them with ticketing and bags and accompanied them through security. Others who live in Texas were taken on the same buses to the airport so they could arrange for car rentals.

READ MORE: Diamond Princess evacuees finally head home

The original plan for the release

Federal health officials planned to drop off some cruise ship passengers at North Star Mall after their release from Lackland, according to one of the passengers.

Passenger Terri Feil, of Houston, said a CDC official told them in a conference call Sunday that the mall, about 17 miles from the base, was chosen to avoid the media. Neither the CDC or San Antonio officials have confirmed this.

Feil said only people who were not going to the airport were to be dropped off at the mall. The Feils showed The Associated Press a text message they said was from the CDC indicating they were to be dropped off at the entrance by The Cheesecake Factory.

Nirenberg said that before he and others intervened, the evacuees would have been "free to go wherever" as soon as they stepped off the base. While the city could not force the CDC to conduct further testing, he said, it did help coordinate a new plan for release that would limit their contact with the general public.

READ MORE: CDC planned to drop cruise passengers at mall

The political dysfunction

San Antonio and Texas representatives have publicly questioned the CDC's handling of the evacuees, especially the mistaken release.

"Local health professionals, in whom I have the utmost confidence, are working very hard to prevent the spread of this virus here in San Antonio, and we simply cannot have a screw-up like this from our federal partners," Nirenberg said at a news conference.

Gov. Greg Abbott called the evacuee’s release "a case of negligence" on the part of the CDC and said everyone the woman came into contact with should be tested for the virus.

Two San Antonio congressmen, Joaquin Castro and Lloyd Doggett, both Democrats, called for an investigation of the release, which they said "raises serious questions" about CDC oversight, protocols and attention to public safety.

Texas Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz, both Republicans, penned their own letter to Dr. Robert Redfield, head of the CDC, asking how a similar mix-up could be prevented with future coronavirus patients.

READ MORE: San Antonio, Bexar County in battle with the CDC over evacuees in coronavirus quarantine

The impact on events

Coronavirus concerns have already impacted religious observations in the city. The Archdiocese of San Antonio suggested Tuesday that parishes temporarily discontinue the distribution of Communion wine at Mass and remove holy water from fonts at the church doors.

Although Houston’s oil and gas industry conference, CERAWeek, was canceled, the South By Southwest festival that draws more than 200,000 people from all over the world to Austin is still scheduled to start next week.

The Spurs are evaluating their procedures, according to a spokesperson.

"The health and safety of our guests is our priority at Spurs Sports & Entertainment," the organization said in a statement. "We continue to evaluate and enhance our operational policies and procedures at the AT&T Center as recommended by the NBA and the CDC."

READ MORE: SXSW is still on, volunteers advised of health precautions amid coronavirus scare

The hotline

Metro Health established a hotline, 210-207-5779, which residents can call with concerns about the virus.

People with symptoms should first call their primary care doctors, rather than showing up at hospitals or clinics.

The symptoms

The most common symptoms of coronavirus are cough, fever and shortness of breath. In some cases, the virus causes severe respiratory illness.

Current data on the virus suggests the elderly and immunocompromised are more susceptible to serious complications and children are at a lower risk.

READ MORE: How to tell if you have a cold, the flu, or coronavirus — and what to do about it

The students

Local universities have recalled more than 100 students from programs in countries where the new coronavirus outbreak is most severe.

Trinity University students who were studying abroad in Italy, South Korea and Iran, will have to self-quarantine for 14 days before coming back to campus.

Returning UTSA students have been told to “self-isolate” at their homes for two weeks and arrange a health assessment with the university’s medical director. They can take classes online and return to campus after spring break provided they don’t have flu-like symptoms.

READ MORE: Coronavirus risk abroad has San Antonio area universities yanking 100-plus students home

The stores

Customers made a run on store supplies as fears of the coronavirus sweep Bexar County.

H-E-B temporarily imposed limits on purchases of disinfectant sprays, wipes, hand soap and hand sanitizer — four of each per customer per shopping trip.

Hand sanitizer was hard to find Monday in stores, at pharmacies, and online.

READ MORE: Coronavirus prompts a run on hand sanitizer, other germ-killing products