U.S. Rep. Ron Wright ill but tests negative for coronavirus

U.S. Rep. Ron Wright woke up Saturday morning with a fever and flu-like symptoms.

The Arlington Republican had been in Washington, D.C., the day before, voting on the federal stimulus package known as the CARES Act. So he talked to his doctor and then headed to the Emergency Room.

He went through five hours of various tests, including one for coronavirus.

“On Sunday morning, I received the news that I thankfully tested negative for COVID-19 but do have a mild case of pneumonia,” Wright, 66, said in a prepared statement. “I never would have thought I’d be happy to hear a positive pneumonia diagnosis.”

Wright has been undergoing medical treatment since he learned he had stage 4 lung cancer in 2018 and has said his prognosis looks good.

Judge blocks Texas from closing abortion clinics over coronavirus

A federal judge on Monday stopped the state of Texas from closing abortion clinics.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said earlier this month that the clinics must shut their doors under Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s orders that any surgeries not medically necessary must be postponed.

Abortion providers sued Abbott, Paxton and other state officials, trying to stop the state’s restriction.

On Monday, U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel granted a temporary restraining order preventing the closure of clinics. It is in effect until April 13, when the judge plans to hold a telephone hearing to decide whether to issue a preliminary injunction.

“Regarding a woman’s right to a pre-fetal-viability abortion, the Supreme Court has spoken clearly,” states Yeakel’s order, in response to the lawsuit against Texas officials. “There can be no outright ban on such a procedure.”

Tarrant County confirms 16 new coronavirus cases, reports 83 pending patients

Tarrant County confirmed 16 new coronavirus cases for a total of 155, plus 83 additional provisional cases.

Eight patients have recovered and one patient died two weeks ago in Arlington.

The confirmed cases are across 21 cities, including 55 (52 currently) in Fort Worth, 26 (24 currently) in Arlington, and 10 in Mansfield.

Nearly 50% of the patients contracted the coronavirus through community spread, including 41% (63 cases) from an unknown source. Travel was blamed for the contraction in 73 patients (47%). The transmission in seven cases is undetermined.

Dallas County confirms 11th death, 61 new coronavirus cases

Dallas County confirmed 61 new coronavirus cases, including its 11th death.

A Dallas man in his 40s was found dead in his home. He had other high-risk, chronic health conditions.

Dallas County has 549 confirmed COVID-19 cases as of Monday morning.

The county reports hospitalization of coronavirus cases has increased, with about 65% of the patients “either over 60 years of age or having had at least one known high-risk chronic health condition.”

Of the total hospitalized patients, 36% have required intensive care, the county said.

Coronavirus patients in Fort Worth get plasma transfusions from the formerly infected

On Saturday, a 42-year-old critically ill COVID-19 patient who is on a ventilator at Harris Methodist received plasma from a former COVID-19 patient.

He was scheduled to receive a second unit on Monday afternoon, said Dr. John Burk, a pulmonologist in Fort Worth.

Plasma transfusions aren’t a cure — but they could help reduce symptoms of those who are infected, Burk said.

“We will not know the benefit or lack thereof probably for several days and there are many questions that could be asked in terms of did it help or not but it is one of the things that might make a difference and the benefit should far outweigh the risk,” he said on Monday.

Burk said these types of transfusions have historically helped patients who came down with SARS, measles or ebola.

Fort Worth removes basketball rims at parks

Fort Worth employees removed basketball rims and volleyball nets from city parks on Monday after people were seen at the courts over the weekend.

More than 10 people gathered Sunday at a basketball court at Trinity Park.

Tarrant County’s stay-at-home order, adopted March 24, prohibits travel outside of the home except for essential trips for food, health care and essential work.

It also bans gatherings of any kind, except those within a household. Residents are permitted to go outside to walk and cycle, but must stay 6 feet apart. The city’s playgrounds were already closed.

Will life get back to normal in Sundance Square?

Sundance Square is arguably the city’s most pedestrian-friendly, vibrant and photogenic place — a celebration of Fort Worth’s urban core.

But these days, with city and county emergency declarations in place because of the coronavirus, the thriving, 35-square-block section on the north end of downtown Fort Worth resembles a ghost town.

The office buildings that serve as work places during weekday are mostly vacant. The clothing shops and music venues are shuttered. The residential buildings are occupied, but eerily quiet.

TOP ARTICLES

As Denton living center becomes coronavirus hot spot,families struggle with separation

Even the restaurants and clubs that make Sundance Square such a desirable destination on nights and weekends have either closed, or converted their operations to carryout and delivery services. While some of the restaurants seem to be doing okay in pivoting to this new focus on takeout food, it doesn’t appear that anyone is getting richer in the process.

But the business owners haven’t lost hope.

So far, none of the restaurant or retail tenants has announced any plans to close up for good — only for as long as the COVID-19 crisis requires.

Fort Worth-area clinic reopens days after employees tested positive for coronavirus

A Southlake medical clinic that closed last week after two employees tested positive for COVID-19 reopened on Monday.

The Baylor Scott & White-Southlake Family Medicine clinic opened its doors after workers sanitized the building.

Officials at Baylor Scott & White did not comment Monday if any other employees had tested positive for coronavirus or if all the doctors, nurses, patients and staff had returned.

Baylor Scott & White-Southlake Family Medicine was closed Thursday after officials received information that two employees had tested positive in the past few days.

Officials said employees did not interact with patients at the time of their symptoms.

The ages of the employees and their conditions were not released by officials.

Officials noted they are following guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

As of Sunday, there were 139 cases of COVID-19 in Tarrant County, five of them in Southlake, according to county health officials.

Travelers coming to Texas from Louisiana must quarantine, Abbott says as part of new orders

People flying or driving from Louisiana into Texas or travelers flying into the state from various locations will be required to self-quarantine for 14 days, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced in a press conference about COVID-19 Sunday afternoon.

Abbott also announced a Dallas-Fort Worth convention center will serve as a temporary medical facility for coronavirus patients if needed.

The governor also passed new quarantine restrictions for travelers coming from additional cities and states into Texas to try and prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.

In the first executive order, Abbott announced travelers from Louisiana, whether they are flying or driving, will be required to self-quarantine for two weeks if they cross the border into Texas.

Abbott also extended a previous order Sunday requiring travelers flying from Miami, Atlanta, Detroit, Chicago or the states of California or Washington to self-quaratine for two weeks. Travelers who are driving will not be required to self-quarantine.

All 6 new coronavirus patients in Collin County are female, with 4 hospitalized

Collin County confirmed six new coronavirus cases, with four people hospitalized.

All six new patients are female between the ages of 29 and 65, including three in Plano, two in Frisco and one in Celina.

The county has confirmed 134 COVID-19 cases, including 41 patients who have recovered, 11 who are currently hospitalized and 75 in home isolation.

Of the six new cases, four have had no known contact with another case. Three of those cases had not recently traveled; one had recently traveled domestically. No details were available on two of the six new cases.

Denton County confirms 17 more COVID-19 cases; 52 total originated at living center

Denton County confirmed 17 new coronavirus cases, including five more Denton State Supported Living Center residents. The county has confirmed 165 cases with 30 patients recovered and two deaths.

The Denton facility has 45 confirmed cases among its residents, plus seven staff members who have tested positive. Two additional staff members live outside of Denton County and are not counted in the 165 total cases for the county.

Among the 17 new cases is a person 19 or younger, four in their 20s, two in their 30s, three in their 40s, three in their 50s, two in their 60s and two in their 70s.

Six of the new patients live in Denton, bringing the cities total cases to 16, plus the 45 at the living facility for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Of the total confirmed cases, 56 have contracted COVID-19 through community spread, 55 had contact with a previously confirmed case and 49 recently traveled. Five cases are pending an investigation. Thirty-two patients are currently or have been hospitalized.

Dallas County confirms 10th death from coronavirus, as total cases near 500

Dallas County reported one death and 49 new cases of coronavirus Sunday, bringing the total number of deaths to 10 and confirmed cases to 488.

There have been at least 34 deaths and 2,552 confirmed cases statewide as of Sunday afternoon, according to the latest data available.

A woman in her 80s died of the virus. She was a resident at a long-term care facility. She had underlying conditions and had been hospitalized for the illness.

Tarrant County records 11 new coronavirus cases, bringing total to 139

Tarrant County officials confirmed 11 new coronavirus cases Sunday, bringing the total number to 139.

Arlington reported four, while Fort Worth had three and Forest Hill, Keller, Hurst and Azle each had one. The case in Azle is the first confirmed by the city.

Overall, three people have recovered and one person has died of coronavirus in the county.

Tarrant County had the sixth highest number of cases in the state; 118 counties reported cases totaling 2,552, according to the latest information from the Texas Department of State Health Services on Sunday afternoon.

About 48 percent of transmissions were the result of travel and about 38 percent were the result of an unknown community source, the county health department said Saturday. Roughly 9 percent of cases came from a known community source.

Two Fort Worth police officers test positive for coronavirus, department says

Two Fort Worth police officers have tested positive for coronavirus, according to a news release from the department.

The officers have self-isolated, and the department is working to reach anyone with whom they came in contact.

The officers worked in the same unit and had limited close contact with others while at work, according to the release. Their office spaces are being disinfected.

The police association is communicating with the officers and has offered to assist them in any way possible.

Fort Worth police officers began on Saturday to wear protective masks and protective gloves as they responded to calls. The requirement, which started with the morning shift and applies to officers interacting with the public, is perhaps the most visible measure the department has taken since coronavirus cases began to increase.

This story was originally published March 30, 2020 at 6:20 PM with the headline "Coronavirus live updates March 30: Here’s what to know in the Dallas-Fort Worth area."