Lions Club Tube Rental Moves To Reservations Only Due To COVID Spike, Social Distancing Non-Compliance

SAN MARCOS, TEXAS- The Lions Club Tube Rental will begin reservation-only service due to customer non-compliance with social distancing and the general pandemic situation. “Yes, we’re going reservation-only.” Mark Jalufka, General Manager of the Lions Club Tube Rental, said.

The tube rental had a delayed season with an opening on June 1 and COVID-19 protocols in place. Still, there are concerns about overcrowding and the potential spread of the virus. The City Park remains a popular summer destination for locals and tourists alike during the pandemic.

The popularity of the river and the lack of consumer compliance with local and state health guidelines have prompted a response from the tube rental.

According to Jalufka, making changes to curb the potential for community spread but is struggling with river goers from neighboring Sewell Park, who seems unconcerned about the pandemic.

“We’ve had to shut down renting quite early because there was such a mob in front of the building, and they were not spread out. They were all around, and they were not socially distancing at all,” said Jalufka.

And there are some safety concerns for the tube rental employees as well, with some as young as 16.

The threat of viral spread is also a concern for the community as Hays County continues to see rising case numbers.

Current Phase 3 guidelines suggest minimizing “in-person contact with others not in the individual’s household. Minimizing in-person contact includes maintaining 6 feet of separation from individuals. When maintaining 6 feet of separation is not feasible, other methods should be utilized to slow the spread of COVID-19, such as wearing a face covering or mask, washing or sanitizing hand [sic] frequently, and avoiding sharing utensils or other common objects.”

COVID-19 cases have increased dramatically in Hays County with a record 196 new cases last weekend between Saturday and Sunday.

The Lions Club has made these changes, but the process is as dynamic as the virus itself.

Customers used to wait in a crowded line for rentals or fill their tubes with air, exchange money with cashiers, float the river, and ride a full shuttle back from Rio Vista Park. Due to COVID-19 precautions, every step of the tube rental process had to be modified.

“We’re gonna allow so many registrations per hour that way we know that we’re not gonna have more than [a controlled] amount of people come in during that hour and it’ll avoid the massive mobs,” Jalufka said. “We’ve got some work to do on that, and we should have it ready by Friday.”

These changes will take effect on Saturday, June 20. For more information, visit TubeSanMarcos.com.

Phase 3 guidelines for Amusement Parks: https://dshs.state.tx.us/coronavirus/docs/opentx/AmusementPark-Visitors.pdf.