HOUSTON, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner on Saturday called for the state of Texas to close a loophole that allows bars and nightclubs to reclassify as restaurants when he visited a mega COVID-19 vaccination center.

Turner made a tour at a vaccination mega site at Minute Maid Park in Houston when he held a briefing about the city's pandemic concerns and response.

"I'm still getting some disturbing pictures of people hanging out in clubs that have been recategorized as restaurants," he said when talking about the city's rising positivity rate of COVID-19.

"So I am calling on the TABC (Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission) to really crack down and to rescind some of these reclassifications," the mayor said.

The TABC allows for bars and nightclubs to reclassify themselves as restaurants provided that under 51 percent of their sales come from alcohol. Turner said loopholes like these made it difficult for the city to reduce the spread of the virus.

Health officials said that Minute Maid Park, Houston's newest COVID-19 vaccination site, administered 5,000 vaccinations Saturday morning.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott said earlier that more mega site will be built in the state to get more people vaccinated as soon as possible. Enditem

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