COVID-19 cases continue to surge across the region, and El Paso is one of the hardest hit areas in the country.
City officials say contact tracing reveals shopping at big box stores is a leading source of new coronavirus cases in the city.
Mayor Dee Margo talked about the research.
"And what we discovered is that 55.11 percent of our positives were coming from shopping at large retailers," said Margo.
Margo says restaurants accounted for just over 14 percent of infections between November 10th and November 16th. Other sources include travel to Mexico, parties, gyms, and large gatherings.
El Paso’s County Judge implemented a new curfew meant to control the spread of COVID-19. Judge Ricardo Samaniego says the curfew lasts through Monday.
“The curfew will be from 10pm to 5am. The curfew addresses - and I really want to be explicit on this — social and recreational activities,” said Samaniego.
The curfew does not apply to people going to businesses — including stores with extended hours for the holiday.
But Samaniego is urging people to stay home. He says things are so bad the county is building a temporary morgue inside a warehouse to store an overflow of bodies.
As for urgent care of those with COVID-19, hospital capacity is being stretched and moving patients to other cities may not always be an option.
Lubbock, like El Paso and many other Texas cities, is a COVID-19 hotspot.
And health officials warn that if people do not take precautions, hospitals won't be able to handle the influx of patients. Ron Cook is with Lubbock Health Authority.
"Our hospitals, our emergency rooms, and our ICUs are saturated. We can not tolerate and handle any increase in the cases than we already have coming in," said Cook.
While El Paso also continues to grapple with an ongoing surge in coronavirus cases, officials are preparing for the future distribution of a vaccine. Mayor Dee Margo says the city used federal relief funding to buy four buildings to serve as COVID-19 clinics.
"And we also have three other sites that public health has now so we'll have seven sites for clinics and distribution of the vaccine," said Margo.
Margo says all of the locations will be equipped with appropriate freezers and refrigerators to store the vaccines.