Curfew put into action in El Paso, Fort Bliss

A curfew was implemented on the city of El Paso on October 25, 2020 and Fort Bliss on October 26, 2020, requiring all residents to stay home between the hours of 10pm and 5 am. It is an attempt at reducing the rise in Covid case numbers and is said to last for two weeks 

Although the curfew is meant to slow the increase in Covid-19 cases, Rudy Alvarado has doubt as to whether it is needed.  

“I wouldn’t personally say it’s necessary, Sophomore Rudy Alvarado from Austin High School said. “That’s coming off the fact that I personally don’t think it’s too effective. If it were to be effective, then I could see it as being necessary, but as it is only affecting a small portion of time, I don’t think it is necessary. 

However, others believe the curfew is important.  

“I do think it’s necessary,” Master Sergent Bryan Morrow said. “because a lot of people go out and like I said earlier, they go out, congregate together, and they don’t typically social distance. But a lot of the time a lot of the transmissions are in people’s homes because it’s shown that when people are outside, the disease doesn’t spread as easily. But if you have large gatherings at your house, that’s where a lot of people are getting sick. 

After the curfew was applied, people weren’t affected by it, still recognize that there is some effect from it. 

“I do think that just for the simple fact that, obviously if you limit exposure and people meeting each other after 10:00 o’ clock, there’s less of a chance of catching it,” Sarah Alvarado, mother of Rudy Alvarado, said. “If you think of people going out Friday, Saturday night they’re not going to be out dancing, partying maybe, in restaurants. So, I do think that it will have an impact on the infection rate.” 

People of El Paso have different views on how to handle the spread of the virus, Sarah said, “we’re doing what we can.” 

“I think we need to do better at educating people on Covid,” Bryan said. “specifically, the younger generation because it doesn’t affect them as much. It more likely effects older people, so the younger kids are going out there, getting it, bring it home, and giving it to their parents or grandparents, and that’s where I think the issues are because the studies have shown throughout the United States and the world that it doesn’t affect the younger generation as much as it does the elderly. 

When staying out late, citizens may be fined $500. 

“Well, they’re being warned,” homeschooled Freshman Isabella Parthemore explained. “and if they are publicly saying that you shouldn’t do this and you do it anyway, that’s blatant disobedience. 

However, others feel differently about the fine.  

“I don’t think that a $500 fine should be given, that seems a little too extreme,” Rudy said. “If anything, at first a warning should be given, or at a minimum a smaller fine should be given. But 500 does seem like quite a lot considering that you can be fined 500 for being out past the curfew only a few minutes, and if it’s not that effective if just doesn’t really make a whole lot of sense. 

The curfew is meant to last for only 2 weeks; however, residents are not sure of it. 

“I think it will last longer and I hope I will last longer,” mother of two, Jasmin Morrow states. “I think they should have started earlier, and I think they waited too long for this, but I think that’s a common thing everywhere. They wait so long until it’s terrible, then they will change stuff and I guess it would not have been necessary if they, in my opinion, would not have had these great tournaments and all that, in El Paso.”