Coronavirus live updates March 26: Here’s what to know in the Dallas-Fort Worth area
We’re keeping track of the most up-to-date news about coronavirus in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area. Check back for updates.
Travelers to Texas from New York tri-state area, New Orleans must quarantine
Gov. Greg Abbott issued an executive order Thursday requiring anyone traveling to Texas from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut or the city of New Orleans to enter a mandatory self-quarantine for 14 days upon arrival.
The restrictions will apply only to travelers who fly to Texas and pass through an airport, Abbott said, and are part of an effort to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus from other parts of the country.
The New York City region has become the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S., with more than 37,000 confirmed cases and over 380 deaths in the state of New York alone.
“We don’t want to be in a situation like what New York is in right now,” Abbott said.
Fort Worth City Council grants emergency quarantine power
The Fort Worth City Council has granted staff the power to quarantine sick people who are unwilling to isolate themselves.
That’s a power already held by Tarrant County’s medical director and health authority, Dr. Catherine Colquitt. If a person is infected with a dangerous communicable disease, like the novel coronavirus, Colquitt’s office can obtain a court order forcing them to quarantine.
But city emergency management staff have found a gap sometimes exists between when a person with an infection is identified and when the county health authority is able to obtain the quarantine mandate, called a control order, said Brandon Bennett, the city’s code compliance director and health officer.
“Most certainly what brings this to mind is addressing those folks that either do not have the mental capacity or the desire to protect their own health or the health of others, when they have tested positive for carrying the virus,” Bennett said.
Confirmed cases exceed 500 in metro area
Tarrant County confirmed 10 new cases Thursday for a total of 100.
Dallas County confirmed its seventh COVID-19 death and 56 new cases Thursday to push its total to 303. The latest death was a woman in her 90s with no high-risk chronic health conditions. The 78 cases reported Wednesday were the most confirmed in one day in Dallas County.
Collin County had 66 confirmed cases, including one death, as of Wednesday. Denton County confirmed a single-day high of 19 new coronavirus cases Wednesday for a total of 70.
That brings the total for counties in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area to more than 400 as of Thursday.
Police aren’t stopping drivers under coronavirus stay-at-home orders
Fort Worth police and other area police departments say they are not stopping motorists to determine if they are violating orders to stay home because of the coronavirus pandemic.
For many North Texas cities and counties, officials have issued shelter-in-place or stay-at-home orders, allowing residents travel only for essential reasons. Local governments have those reasons listed on their websites, including working at essential businesses, obtaining food or exercising outdoors.
Smartphone GPS data shows that Fort Worth residents have been following orders to stay at home.
The average mobility of the Tarrant County population, as of Thursday morning, had declined 46% compared to the end of February, before restrictions were in place. That data comes from Unacast, an analytics company that has scraped data from tens of millions of cell phone users worldwide.
But area police officials said they have received multiple calls from residents about driving on roads and streets under the orders.
Fort Worth police officials said Thursday it was false that they had staged checkpoints and asked for work documentation. Many of these allegations and rumors were on social media platforms.
“These claims are NOT accurate,” according to a statement released by Fort Worth police officials on Thursday. “The department is not and will not enforce these types of traffic stops.”
Fort Worth police officials said if an officer makes a traffic stop, it would be for an observed traffic violation or for investigation of another criminal offense.
Officials alarmed as seventh Denton living facility resident tests positive
Denton County has confirmed 19 new cases of the coronavirus, including a seventh individual who has tested positive at Denton’s State Supported Living Facility, as officials express alarm about the county’s ability to test and treat the growing number of patients.
There have been 70 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Denton County, according to the county health department. The new case at the State Supported Living Center, which houses individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, is a woman in her 50s who has been hospitalized. Star-Telegram media partner WFAA-TV reported the other six infected individuals have also been hospitalized.
Officials had announced on Saturday there were four positive cases at the living center, and on Wednesday indicated three more people had tested positive. At a press conference Wednesday, Denton Mayor Chris Watts stated the county doesn’t have enough testing materials to track the spread of the coronavirus in the living center, according to WFAA-TV.
He said the county plans to submit letters to Gov. Greg Abbott to ask for additional help and resources to combat the spread of coronavirus and isolate it to the living center, WFAA-TV reported.
Testing has begun at the living center, officials confirmed to WFAA-TV on Wednesday.
Denton County leaders including Watts and County Judge Andy Eads have also written to Abbott to request the state transform the Denton State Supported Living Center into a temporary hospital, according to KXAS-TV, which obtained the letter. There are reportedly about 1,400 employees at the facility and more than 440 residents.
Questions and answers about stay-at-home orders
Many people have questions about stay at home orders issued this week in Fort Worth and Tarrant County due to the coronavirus.
Generally, stay at home decrees limit residents to travel only for essential errands, such as going to the grocery store, gas station, pharmacy, hospital or bank. Such orders don’t limit outdoor activity, such as walking or biking, but with the decrees handed down in Texas on Tuesday, outside gatherings are banned. Social gatherings of any number are banned except when they are limited to members of the same household.
These mandates are designed to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, which causes a flu-like illness that is potentially fatal, said Fort Worth code compliance director Brandon Bennett.
All residents must stay home unless they are traveling for essential business and all non-essential businesses should be closed, he said in a briefing.
The Star-Telegram has been taking questions about the coronavirus and local officials’ responses to it through a Google form, as well as by email and phone.
Here are some of the most frequently asked questions and the answers.
Many hit Trinity Trails to ‘maintain their sanity’
The day after Tarrant County issued a stay-at-home order to try and curb the spread of coronavirus, bikers, runners and picnic-ers alike were enjoying 80-degree weather on the Trinity Trails — at a safe distance from one another.
At noon on Wednesday, every bike from the bike-sharing rack at the Clearfork Trailhead was gone. Families chatted near the water station, kids played on the bridge crossing the river, and dogs ran next to their owners on the gravel trail.
“We haven’t been able to go anywhere in two weeks,” Lauren Muckleroy, who stood near the Press Cafe with family friends, said. “We came out to see each from a safe distance.”
“I’m just thankful spring is here,” Muckleroy’s friend Sasha Denman said.
Should gun shops be considered ‘essential’ businesses?
Gun sales have stopped in several Texas counties that have deemed gun stores as non-essential businesses during COVID-19 local emergency declarations, but some shops are still open and most continue selling firearms online.
Tarrant County officials issued an order Saturday to close down all non-essential businesses to the public. The essential business summary did not include gun shops, but Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley said they can continue to sell guns as long as they process the orders offsite and customers only show up to pick up their merchandise.
“We’re not treating gun shops any different than other retail stores,” said Whitley, “They can order online, they can go in, they can go to the front desk, pay for it and leave.”
In a recent email to their members, the Texas State Rifle Association argued that banning the sale of guns could be a violation of the state firearms preemption law.
“During an emergency, food, water, shelter and adequate medical care are paramount for survival, but so too is the ability of an individual to protect his or herself, as well as their family, home, business and property,” reads the letter.
State Representative Dustin Burrows (R-Lubbock), Chairman of the Texas House Committee on Ways & Means, formally requested an opinion Monday from Attorney General Ken Paxton on whether cities or counties can prohibit the sale of firearms.
Tarrant County jail population at lowest level in two years
The Tarrant County jails have released enough inmates in the past few days to drastically lower the jail population.
This release of non-violent inmates is an effort to reduce the risk of spreading the coronavirus infection, according to Tarrant County officials.
Those efforts are expected to continue as Tarrant County courts transition later this week to using a video-conferencing technology option to remotely conduct essential court proceedings. If an inmate declines the video-conferencing option, essential hearings can be arranged on an appointment basis.
“As of this morning (Wednesday) the jail population is 3,552. That’s the lowest it’s been in over two years,” said Lt. Jennifer Gabbert, Tarrant County jail spokeswoman. ”We have been able to release a large number of inmates in the past few days.”
Tarrant County jail facilities housed about 4,000 inmates just a week ago, Gabbert said. As of March 1, 2019, Tarrant County Jails housed more than 4,100 inmates, according to figures from the Texas Commission on Jail Standards.
Arlington Independent School District extends class cancellation
As the novel coronavirus continued to make more people sick Wednesday, the Arlington Independent School District extended the cancellation of its classes indefinitely.
The district had previously joined the Fort Worth Independent School District in extending its closure through April 3, after Gov. Greg Abbott issued an executive order last week closing all Texas schools through that date.
“We don’t know when school on campus will resume,” the Arlington district wrote on Twitter. “We’re following guidance from health officials. When it’s safe to open our doors, we’ll communicate a date.”
The district has a program that provides breakfast and lunch weekdays for students. It has been using an online learning program with lessons for students in prekindergarten through 12th grade.
Abortion providers sue Texas officials over executive order that halts most abortions
Abortion providers are suing Gov. Greg Abbott, Attorney General Ken Paxton and a slew of other Texas officials in an effort to stop the state’s restriction of most abortion procedures during the coronavirus pandemic.
Abortion providers allege in a federal lawsuit filed in Austin that enforcement of a recent executive order violates Texans’ right to equal protection under the Fourteenth Amendment.
Under the executive order issued Sunday, physicians will have the discretion to suspend procedures that aren’t immediately medically necessary to correct a serious medical condition or to preserve the life of a patient. Abbott had said the order was intended to increase hospital capacity and preserve personal protective equipment in an effort to combat spread of the novel coronavirus. The order took effect immediately and is in place through midnight April 21.
Three SMU students test positive for coronavirus after leaving campus for spring break
Three Southern Methodist University students tested positive for COVID-19 after leaving campus for spring break, the Dallas institution’s president said Wednesday.
The time between the students’ last time on SMU’s Dallas campus and their confirmed positive tests for COVID-19 were within the estimated 14-day incubation period for the virus, SMU President R. Gerald Turner wrote Wednesday. The students are recovering at home under the care of physicians.
Are you trying to apply for unemployment in Texas? Coronavirus has swamped the system.
Courtney Trettel was stunned to get the news last week.
The 29-year-old Burleson woman was laid off from her position as a quality control specialist — possibly on a temporary basis, possibly permanently — because of the coronavirus. She was told to file for unemployment.
“This whole thing is mind-blowing to me,” she said, adding that she just bought a new house. “Companies don’t have to be there for employees. ... Everybody is laid off, nothing is being communicated.
“People are scared. It’s just insane,” she said, adding that she filed for unemployment this week and hopes it will help her pay her bills.
But she and others said they’re having problems filing for benefits because so many others are also trying to do the same, swamping the Texas Workforce Commission’s online and telephone system.
Unemployment numbers are going up in Tarrant County and Fort Worth — and across the state and country — particularly in areas where officials have declared that nonessential businesses must temporarily close their doors, in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19. Among the businesses deemed nonessential in Tarrant County: hair and nail salons, malls, retail stores, massage parlors and tattoo shops.
Fort Worth attorney Jason Smith said he’s getting a number of calls from people asking if they can file for unemployment.
He said more people are now eligible for unemployment benefits under Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s disaster declaration, due to the coronavirus.
Those who may be eligible include people who work for a company that shut down because of the pandemic, a company that stayed open but laid off some employees and those who must be quarantined or are caring for someone who is quarantined, according to the Texas Workforce Commission.
Allergies or COVID-19? How to tell the difference
If it weren’t for the coronavirus pandemic, health reporters in North Texas would be focused on allergies now, as we have entered the spring pollen season.
Cough is one of the most telling symptoms of COVID-19, and cough is also very common for those with allergies and asthma. So it’s more important than ever for those with allergies to keep their symptoms under control.
If you have allergies, how can you distinguish between allergy and COVID-19? First, although many call their allergies “hay fever”, allergy never causes a fever. Never. If you have a dry cough and a fever, don’t blame your allergies. Talk with your doctor to see if you need to be evaluated for COVID-19.
Read more from a Fort Worth allergy doctor about how to deal with symptoms.
Saving lives vs. saving the economy
State Rep. Rafael Anchia spent his Monday evening retweeting family photos and stories about mothers, grandfathers and abuelitas. His message was that they were more than a policy consideration and should not have to sacrifice their lives for the economy, as Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick had suggested.
“Certainly I’ve been hearing from merchants associations and chambers of commerce about the pain they’ve felt and from their employees, and I don’t ever want to dismiss that,” said Anchia, a Democrat from Dallas. “But it is a bridge too far in my view to start suggesting you’re going to be affirmatively making calls on who lives and who dies. That is something I never expected any government official to be advocating for in this environment.”
But with stay at home ordinances locking down half the country’s population, including in Dallas-Fort Worth, a conflict is growing over whether tight restrictions enacted to reduce the spread of the coronavirus are outweighed by the economic costs. And Texas is fueling the divide.
On Twitter, Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz said, “We must protect public health & work together to defeat this pandemic. But we also can’t let our response destroy every job in America.” Fellow Republican Texas Sen. John Cornyn told Fox News, “We’re all trying to figure out what that balance is.”
Julie McCarty, chief executive officer of the True Texas Project (formerly the Northeast Tarrant Tea Party), said coronavirus restrictions damage and infringe on liberties. “We are a generous people. We are an educated people. We are an independent people,” she said over email. “If I’m 80 years old and at risk, I don’t need the government telling me to stay home. I’m smart enough to figure that out for myself. Guidelines are fine, but requirements? No.”
Michael Quinn Sullivan, leader of the influential Empower Texans organization, tweeted “We live in a fallen, sinful world. One result of which is we get sick and die. It’s either going to be from some crazy virus, or a distracted bus driver when I am crossing the street. Either way, are we so scared of dying we are willing to give up living?”
It was Patrick who brought the discussion to prominence. On Fox News Monday night he suggested he would be willing to die to save the economy. Patrick reiterated Tuesday in a telephone town hall that he wanted to put “life first” but that America could do “two things at once” and keep businesses open: “My focus is on my grandchildren and your grandchildren and the entire next generation that we have an America to leave them. On the path that we’re on right now, if we close down America, that American dream is going to disappear very quickly.”
Patrick said he had not spoken with President Donald Trump, but the president has expressed similar beliefs. Trump, defying the claims of public health officials, suggested America may be ready to jumpstart the economy and pack into churches by Easter, on April 12.
Residents warned not to fall for coronavirus identity theft scams
Fort Worth area consumers and others are being targeted by scammers who are using the coronavirus pandemic to gain personal information so they can rob those residents blind, authorities caution.
These con artists are calling and sending emails or messages to people offering cures for COVID-19 or free coronavirus testing, or they ask for donations to help a charity that helps coronavirus victims, according to a fraud alert video from the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office.
“Don’t click on the link,” the video says. “It will take you a malicious website and capture your private and financial information to steal your identity and your money.”
Texas asks USDA to let SNAP benefits be used at to-go restaurants due to coronavirus
Texas officials have requested that the U.S. Department of Agriculture allow SNAP recipients to use their benefits at take-out and drive-through restaurants in Texas amid the novel coronavirus’ spread.
Gov. Greg Abbott announced the Texas Health and Human Services Commission sent a letter Tuesday requesting that the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service agency implement a statewide “Restaurant Meal Program” and streamline the application and approval process, including expediting approvals to certify new restaurants to begin accepting SNAP payments.
In a statement Wednesday, a USDA spokesperson said Food and Nutrition Service has been reviewing states’ requests on a continual basis.
This story was originally published March 26, 2020 at 5:00 AM.