Hidalgo County is warning residents to stay safe as the holiday season approaches and coronavirus cases increase. 

Hidalgo County has reported over 1,300 cases from Wednesday to Thursday.  A large part of this increase was due to a backlog, but is still a concern as cases several weeks ago were much closer to 200 a day. 

In a virtual news conference Thursday Hidalgo County Judge Richard Cortez referenced past holiday gatherings as one of the possible reasons the cases have been so high.  

"There was no excuse for all the Halloween gatherings and all the people packed in a room without masks. We are now suffering the results," Cortez said. "If we don't change our behavior, I fear the effect Halloween had on our infection rate will pale in comparison to Thanksgiving and Christmas."

Watch the video for the full story.