City of Temple to Close Some Facilities After Rise in COVID Cases

The recent rise in COVID-19 cases in Bell County is forcing the closure of walk-in traffic to several facilities in Temple.

Sydney Isenberg from KXXV Channel 25 reports that City facilities in Temple will be closing to walk-in traffic for the remainder of the 2020 year and looking to reopen in 2021. The closures come as cases of COVID-19 continue to rise in Bell County and throughout Central Texas. The closures began today. (Friday Nov. 20)

City Manager Brynn Myers tells Channel 25:

“We are seeing an increase in positive cases among city staff, so we want to remain proactive in our efforts to ensure the health and safety of our employees and our community. This decision was made to protect our community and our staff, and to do our part to help prevent community spread. Our intent is to minimize the chance of spreading the virus.”

Although the doors are closing for these facilities, they will be offering their services online, by phone, by appointment, curbside or drive-thru service delivery. The City of Temple says they are scheduled to reopen on January 19.

Here are the facilities that will be closing to walk-in traffic.

• Municipal Building/City Hall
• Human Resources
• Temple Public Library
• Historic Post Office
• Parks and Recreation Administration Building
• Public Works Service Center
• Hillcrest Cemetery
• Utility Business Office/Municipal Court

COVID-19 cases are on the rise, and Temple reports that they've had 43 positive cases since March with over half of those cases coming in the last 30 days.