San Elizario says city marshals will help enforce county lockdown order, calls on schools not to reopen

SAN ELIZARIO, Texas – The city of San Elizario announced Monday that it is supporting El Paso County Judge Ricardo Samaniego’s health order shutting down non-essential businesses for two weeks to stem the surge of Covid-19.

San Elizario also urged local school districts to engage in remote education and suspend extracurricular activities.

Residents were encouraged to stay at home “as much as possible and to comply with the nightly curfew of 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. and other directives of the county’s order,” read the statement issued by San Eli Mayor Antonio Araujo.

San Elizario’s city marshal and his deputies will be joining with the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office in enforcing the judge’s order. Last week, the city of El Paso’s Police Department - with the backing of Mayor Dee Margo - announced it would not be enforcing the judge’s order, creating a level of confusion.

“While this temporary shutdown will be difficult for everyone, it is imperative that each one of us do our part to follow the order and slow the spread of the virus,” Araujo said in his statement.