Coronavirus live updates April 2: 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.
Tarrant County coronavirus deaths double to 6, including a second in Fort Worth
Three more Tarrant County residents have died from the coronavirus, county health officials confirmed Thursday.
Two Forest Hill residents and a Fort Worth resident who died were elderly with underlying health conditions, county health officials said Thursday. Their names and ages have not been released.
There have been a total of six COVID-19-related deaths in Tarrant County, including two announced Wednesday in Fort Worth and Hurst.
A 77-year-old man who lived in an Arlington retirement home was Tarrant County’s first reported death on March 17.
Tarrant County adds 37 new coronavirus cases for total of 325, including 23 recovered
Tarrant County added 37 coronavirus cases Thursday for a total of 325, including 115 in Fort Worth.
The 325 total COVID-19 cases include six deaths and 23 patients who have recovered.
The majority of Tarrant County positive tests are in patients aged between 25 and 64, including 38% between 25 and 44, and 37% between 45 and 64. About 5 percent of the patients are between 15 and 24, and 20% of the patients are 65 or older.
On Wednesday, the county started reporting more detailed information including a breakdown of cases by age, gender and hospitalization status on its website.
About 36% of patients are now or at one time have been hospitalized.
The majority of Tarrant patients contracted COVID-19 through community spread, including 43% from an unknown source.
For second consecutive day, Dallas County sees 100 new coronavirus cases, 2 deaths
For the second consecutive day Dallas County confirmed two more coronavirus deaths and 100 more cases Thursday to surpass 800 total cases.
The 16th and 17th deaths are a woman in her 70s who was a resident of a long-term care facility and a Dallas woman in her 80s. Both had been critically ill in area hospitals.
More than 77% of the 831 total COVID-19 patients requiring hospitalization have either been 60 or older or had at least one known high-risk, chronic health condition.
Collin County adds 24 new coronavirus cases for 207 total, including 66 recoveries
Collin County confirmed 24 new coronavirus cases Thursday for a total of 207, including 66 patients who have recovered.
Plano has 73 confirmed cases, including 25 patients who have recovered.
Denton County reports 5th coronavirus death; 70% of its cases are locally transmitted
Denton County confirmed its fifth coronavirus-related death and 23 new cases Thursday.
A Carrollton man in his 70s who was hospitalized died after locally contracting COVID-19.
“We hope everyone will take a moment to keep our fellow residents affected by this pandemic in your thoughts and prayers,” Denton County Judge Andy Eads said in a release. “The seriousness of taking precautions cannot be overstated. With community spread endemic in our county, we must take the necessary steps to ensure we do not contribute to the problem.”
The county has 254 confirmed cases, including 57 recoveries. Among the new patients are two Denton State Supported Living Center employees. Twenty-five staff members and 50 residents of the living center have tested positive for COVID-19.
Worker finishing construction on TCU’s football stadium tests positive for coronavirus
A construction contractor working on the east-side expansion at Amon G. Carter Stadium has tested positive for coronavirus, TCU announced on Wednesday.
It’s the first reported case of COVID-19 on the Fort Worth campus that has been holding online-only classes for the last two weeks.
The school said the individual, who is employed by Turner Construction, is doing well, receiving care and recovering at home. The person last worked on campus March 24, and spent most of their shift outside.
The area was cleared of personnel and sanitized per public health guidance. The school said construction crews have been following social distancing protocols, but two workers who were in closest contact with the COVID-19 positive individual are currently in a 14-day quarantine and self-monitoring period.
Neither of the workers are currently showing symptoms, the school said.
Wise County confirms first three coronavirus cases near Decatur, Rhome and Greenwood
Wise County has confirmed three coronavirus cases near Rhome, Decatur and Greenwood.
All three patients are in home isolation.
Burleson adds three more coronavirus cases to increase Johnson County total to 17
Johnson County confirmed four more coronavirus cases Thursday, including three more in Burleson.
The county has a total of 17 confirmed COVID-19 patients, including 10 in Burleson, two in Cleburne, one in Mansfield and four in unincorporated Johnson County. Six of the patients are divided among three households.
Tarrant property appraisals delayed because of coronavirus; protests still allowed
Tarrant property owners: Don’t worry about not getting this year’s appraisal notice in the mail yet.
Tarrant Appraisal District workers are at home, as required by stay at home orders amid novel coronavirus. They’re working to get the appraisals out around May 1.
“However, depending on local leadership and their orders, these plans could change,” said Jeff Law, chief appraiser for the Tarrant Appraisal District.
Generally the notices are sent out in early April and the deadline to file a protest is May 15.
That deadline still stands, but Law said TAD will honor protest filings up to June 1 because of the delay in sending out appraisal notices. He said everything is subject to change because of the uncertainty of COVID-19.
Abbott’s statewide order casts confusion on local restrictions over religious services
Gov. Greg Abbott’s new executive order implements statewide mandates for all of Texas that lawmakers and hospital systems have called for to limit the novel coronavirus’ spread.
But his announcement Tuesday also brought a wave of confusion, seemingly undermining local stay-at-home orders that are stricter in scope.
Texas’ largest cities and counties had already determined what counts as an essential business, limited in-person gatherings and more under their respective local orders.
But during a press conference Tuesday from the Texas Capitol, Abbott said that local orders cannot deny what the executive order allows for — such as in-person religious services that abide by social distancing measures.
“However, to the extent that there are things that are not mentioned in the executive order, it still gives local jurisdictions the latitude to establish their own rules,” Abbott said.
The line between local and state authority remained blurry Wednesday as local officials worked to pin down exactly what they could and couldn’t do under Abbott’s order that requires Texans to stay home unless participating in activities or services deemed essential by the state. It goes into effect Thursday and lasts through April 30.
“It’s put a little confusion into the cities and counties that had their own order,” said Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley. “Every time we do something, we spend a few days working it out and looking at where we need to be more clear. Now we have to do that with the governor’s order.”
Coronavirus spike likely to continue in Fort Worth area, health director says
A spike in the number of novel coronavirus cases is likely to continue in Tarrant County, said Public Health Director Vinny Taneja, but he wouldn’t say if county hospitals were at risk of reaching patient capacity.
There is also no plan to begin drive-through testing for the virus in Tarrant County, he said.
“I can tell you those discussions are happening almost on a daily basis,” he said.
Hopefully, Taneja said, point-of-care tests, those administered at hospitals and urgent care clinics, will become readily available. But there is a growing shortage of testing supplies, Taneja noted. Not only are there few tests, but swabs and chemicals used in the testing process are running low, he said.
Taneja, during a media briefing on Wednesday, referred questions about hospital capacity, overflow plans and availability of resources to individual hospitals and to emergency management offices. Hospitals have told the Star-Telegram that they have plans but have not been specific about them.
The county on Wednesday reported 288 COVID-19 cases, 18 recoveries and three deaths.
At least 40% of patients with confirmed coronavirus infection contracted the disease somewhere in the community. Taneja said that means it is likely there are at least 40% more cases unidentified, or about 155.
Nationally, there has been a rapid spike in cases. Dallas County on Wednesday reported 100 new cases.
Taneja said he was hopeful restrictions on social distance and stay-at-home orders would keep the spike lower in Tarrant County.
“The level of concern is increasing.” Taneja said, urging people to stay home.
Tarrant County confirms its second and third coronavirus deaths, in Hurst, Fort Worth
A man from Hurst and a woman from Fort Worth are the second and third deaths in Tarrant County related to the coronavirus, officials said Wednesday morning.
Both patients had underlying health conditions. No other personal details, including age or how they contracted the virus, were released.
“We express our deepest sympathy to the families,” Tarrant County Public Health Director Vinny Taneja said in a news release.
The COVID-19-related deaths announced Wednesday were the first in the cities of Fort Worth and Hurst.
More than 1,300 cases have been reported across the Dallas-Fort Worth area, with more than 4,000 cases and 58 deaths across the state as of Wednesday night.
Delayed report contributed to coronavirus cluster, Arlington assisted living center says
On March 18, a resident from an assisted living facility in Arlington was sent to a local hospital with a fever and other COVID-19 related symptoms. It took six days for the facility to learn that the resident tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
It took even longer for health officials to respond.
At least a dozen people, 11 residents and one employee, from the facility have tested positive since then, according to Jason Signor, CEO of Caddis Healthcare Real Estate, which owns Heartis Arlington Assisted Living.
“We would not have known if it weren’t for the resident’s family member,” Signor said. “Six days is a long time. We could have been isolating people immediately. I wish we would have known earlier.”
When the facility’s operator, Frontier Management, learned that their resident had tested positive, they immediately called the city’s health department. Kandice Alarcon, who oversees all clinical functions, said the city thanked them and told them Medical City Arlington hospital had not flagged them on the case.
City officials were not immediately available for comment.
Hospital officials said they could not comment on specific cases due to federal privacy laws but said they have protocols in place and work in partnership with local, state and federal health departments to care for patients with infectious diseases such as COVID-19.
“Notifiable conditions considered to be a public health emergency, such as COVID-19, are reported to public health immediately for possible contact investigation tracing,” according to a statement from Medical City Healthcare.
The Texas Department of State Health Services requires reporting facilities to provide detailed information including the patient’s name, phone number and method of diagnosis along with the physician’s contact information, according to the statement.
“This information provides public health epidemiologists with crucial facts to quickly conduct and notify additional contacts, as they deem necessary,” the statement reads.
State health officials were not immediately available for comment.
Tarrant County Public Health Director Vinny Taneja said physicians who order the test are responsible for informing the patient, family and the health department.
Taneja added that testing everyone in a facility is not the norm but in this case it was clear that there had been widespread transmission inside the facility so “almost everyone” was tested.
Fort Worth ISD board grants superintendent more powers to handle coronavirus closure
In a historic move, the Fort Worth Independent School District board Tuesday night voted to give the superintendent executive powers to streamline decision-making during the coronavirus shutdown.
Tuesday night’s FWISD board meeting was also the first time that all members joined virtually — the meeting was held on the Zoom video platform and members of the public were able to call or video in.
The board voted to allow Superintendent Kent Scribner to unilaterally make decisions that fall under 11 categories, including decisions regarding payment of employees, altering the Fort Worth ISD 2019-2020 school calendar, making purchases for FWISD and authorizing waivers with the Texas Education Agency.
Scribner also has the authority to provide educational services to students through e-learning.
Experts urge people to avoid grocery stores at the beginning of the month. Here’s why.
If you can wait to go grocery shopping until April 4, experts say that you should.
Going to a grocery store with barren shelves during the coronavirus pandemic can be frustrating, but for some, the limited choices mean they might not get the healthy foods they need.
The Women, Infants and Children nutrition program, or WIC, provides healthy food for pregnant women, new mothers and young children. The benefits of the program renew on the first of each month, so many participants might be hitting the stores for much-needed groceries this Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
“I think theoretically, if we don’t shop those first days of the month, that allows them first pick of the WIC-designated foods and therefore to get those nutritious items they need to last the month,” Dr. Teresa Wagner, a licensed dietitian, said.
Teachers group asks Governor Abbott to close Texas schools through end of school year
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has already closed schools through the beginning of May.
Now the Texas State Teachers Association is calling on him to go ahead and cancel school for the rest of the school year, as a growing number of states — including New Mexico and California — have done to try to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus.
“Disease experts expect this pandemic to get worse, maybe much worse, in Texas before we see any relief, and the governor must take these steps now to protect millions of school children and the adults dedicated to serving and caring for them,” Noel Candelaria, president of TSTA, said in a statement.
“A comprehensive, statewide school closure order is necessary because the outbreak is expanding across the state, and we don’t know which counties it will strike next. Leaving this decision to individual districts creates unnecessary confusion and stress across Texas.”
Dallas County sees its coronavirus curve rise with 2 more deaths, 100 new cases
Dallas County has confirmed two more deaths and 100 new coronavirus cases Wednesday.
The county has a total of 731 COVID-19 cases.
A Mesquite man in his 50s and a Garland woman in her 80s are the 14th and 15th coronavirus-related deaths in the county. Both had been critically ill in area hospitals, county officials said.
“We’re beginning to see the curve rise and we all must do our part to exercise personal responsibility,” Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said in a news release.
Denton County police officer with novel coronavirus feels improvement, department says
A Lewisville police officer learned Tuesday that he had the novel coronavirus, the department said.
The officer lives in Denton County, where authorities on Wednesday said there had been 231 coronavirus cases. He is the first Lewisville Police Department employee to receive a positive test for the virus.
The officer, whose name and age the department did not release, was in good spirits and felt his condition was improving on Tuesday, when he talked with Police Chief Kevin Deaver.
The officer was exposed to the virus by a relative, the department said. He has been in quarantine since March 24 and was tested on Monday.
Denton County confirms 25 new coronavirus cases, but no new patients at living center
Denton County confirmed 25 new coronavirus cases Wednesday for a total of 231, including 55 patients who recovered and four who died.
No new positive tests were reported for residents or staff at the Denton State Supported Living Center, the site of the origination of 73 patients.
The new cases include four patients in Carrollton, four in Frisco, three in Little Elm, and three in unincorporated Denton County. Lewisville has two more patients, including a Lewisville police officer, who contracted the virus from a family member.
Johnson County confirms three new coronavirus cases, including the first two in Cleburne
Johnson County confirmed three new coronavirus cases Wednesday, including the first two in Cleburne.
The county has 13 confirmed cases, including seven in Burleson, one in Mansfield and three in unincorporated Johnson County, and two people being monitored.
Both Cleburne patients are in home isolation. Cleburne Mayor Scott Cain urged residents to stay home except for essential errands in a video posted on Facebook.
Collin County adds 26 coronavirus cases, including 12 more in Plano
Collin County confirmed 26 new coronavirus cases Wednesday, including 12 new patients in Plano.
There have been 184 cases, including 130 active cases and 53 patients who have recovered. There has been one COVID-19-related death in the county.
YMCA of Fort Worth providing free meals to families with kids under 19 amid coronavirus
The YMCA of Fort Worth is partnering with local vendors to provide free meals in Tarrant, Hood and Johnson counties while schools are closed because of the coronavirus.
The meals will be provided to families with children 18 and younger.
“Grab and Go” meals are available Monday through Friday from 4 to 6 p.m. at nine locations:
• Amon G. Carter Jr. Downtown YMCA, 512 Lamar Street, Fort Worth, TX 76102
• Benbrook Community Center YMCA, 1899 Winscott Road, Benbrook, TX 76126
• Eastside YMCA, 1500 Sandy Lane, Fort Worth, TX 76112
• William M. McDonald YMCA, 2701 Moresby Street, Fort Worth, TX 76105
• YMCA Sports Complex, 4320 Altamesa Blvd, Fort Worth, TX 76133
• Hood County YMCA, 1475 James Road, Granbury, TX 76049
• Joshua Community YMCA, 1009 Joshua Station Blvd., Joshua, TX 76058
• Elkins Elementary School, 7250 School Road, Fort Worth, TX 76179
• Remington Point Elementary School, 6000 Old Decatur Road, Fort Worth, TX 76179
Texans with loved ones in nursing homes face a painful decision due to coronavirus
For many Texans with loved ones living in a nursing home, assisted living center or other long-term care facility, an agonizing choice looms.
Coronavirus is now quickly spreading through long-term care centers in Dallas-Fort Worth and elsewhere. More than 400 long-term facilities nationwide now have positive tests for COVID-19, according to news reports citing the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In North Texas, an Arlington nursing home and four Dallas-area senior facilities have incidents of coronavirus. Family members have been told that it’s up to them if they wish to remove relatives from these facilities.
So relatives of residents in these facilities must now decide whether to:
▪ Allow their loved one to stay in the facility, potentially leaving them exposed to the deadly virus — and leaving them possibly isolated since visitors are not allowed at these facilities, and employees must now be dressed in masks, gloves and other protective gear at all times.
▪ Bring them home, where they can have contact with family members, but also could miss out on the critical care they need to survive.
“Maybe you’ve got a two-worker family to make ends meet, but we’re home now,” Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said during a recent news conference earlier this week, when he disclosed that four senior citizens facilities had coronavirus.
Jenkins, who urged North Texans to remove their family members from long-term care facilities if they have the means, went on to explain that he had discharged his mother from an independent senior living facility about three weeks ago, and was now caring for her at his home.
“I want every family to question — could they care for the person and maybe try to get them home?” Jenkins said.
Black-owned businesses being hit hard by coronavirus shutdown, may never come back
It was a recent Friday night at Buttons, a popular soul food restaurant that features live bands and a bustling crowd five days a week.
The lights were off and there was a sign on the door, indicating that Buttons was closed until further notice.
Just a few yards away Mi Cocina, a popular chain restaurant in the area, had a line around the corner waiting on to-go orders in what is the new normal for eateries during the COVID-19 shutdown across the state.
But for small businesses, especially minority-owned establishments, shutting down is more likely the frightful reality.
And that was the case for Buttons, who shut down on March 13 well before the shelter-in-place orders were put in place in Fort Worth. They gave all the remaining food to the employees and advised them to file for unemployment.
“We do not have take out and delivery,” said owner Curtis Luper, the former TCU co-offensive coordinator who is now at Missouri. “It would not be economically sound. We simply closed and are monitoring the situation.”
This story was originally published April 2, 2020 at 5:00 AM.