Concertgoer knew of COVID-19-positive diagnosis before attending

VAL VERDE COUNTY, Texas — A south Texas judge says a young woman who knew she had coronavirus attended a local concert.

Val Verde County Judge Lewis Owens said she drove to San Antonio on Friday to see country music star Cody Johnson at Cowboys Dancehall.

In a video released to his Facebook page, Owens criticized the woman’s decision to attend while knowing she could infect others. “This is how it’s spreading,” Owens said. “You go to a concert. There are Snapchat pictures, evidently, that y’all took with your mask on your wrist, and y’all are having a good time.”

“You’re positive, lady — you should never have left.”

The judge did not name the woman, but added in his Facebook post that “it is everyone’s responsibility to slow the spread! Let’s do this together.

Videos taken by those who attended the concert show a packed venue with few concerns about social distancing as the novel coronavirus pandemic continues. In the footage, people can be seen standing shoulder to shoulder.  

Johnson’s website listed the performance as a sold-out show. San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg said city officials had seen the videos.

“Our enforcement team issued a sixth and a seventh – and now final – citation to that establishment,” Nirenberg said earlier this week. “It’s on notice that any further issues and they will be shut down.” 

An attorney for Cowboys Dancehall told KENS 5 the venue “is addressing the matter.”