We’re keeping track of the most up-to-date news about the coronavirus in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area. Check back for updates.

Lakeside man is 21st coronavirus death in Tarrant County; 68 new cases reported

A Lakeside man in his 80s is the 21st coronavirus-related death in Tarrant County.

The man had underlying health conditions. This is the first pandemic-related death in Lakeside, which is located on the west side of Lake Worth. As of Friday, Lakeside had three confirmed cases, including two recoveries.

There have been eight coronavirus-related deaths in Fort Worth, three in Arlington, two each in Haltom City and Forest Hill, and one each in Hurst, Euless, Grand Prairie, River Oaks and Southlake.

The county has reported 705 total cases as of Friday, an increase of 68 from Thursday, and reports 90 patients have recovered as of Friday morning.

County officials urged residents to stay home as much as possible and maintain social distancing

“Right now, that is the best way to protect against this virus,” Tarrant County Public Health Director Vinny Taneja said in a news release. “The measures we’re following are working, so everyone needs to stay the course.”

Dallas County confirms 3 more coronavirus deaths, 105 new cases

Dallas County confirmed three more coronavirus-related deaths and 105 new cases on Friday.

The county has reported 25 pandemic-related deaths. The deaths reported Friday were two Dallas men in their 80s and a woman in her 90s who was a resident of a Dallas long-term care facility.

All three had underlying health conditions and had been hospitalized.

The county has confirmed a total of 1,537 COVID-19 cases.

Burleson coronavirus cases up to 18, including three recoveries

Johnson County has confirmed 31 coronavirus cases, including 18 in Burleson.

Burleson added two cases Thursday and announced three recoveries.

Other Johnson County COVID-19 cases include four in Cleburne, six in unincorporated Johnson County, and one each in Mansfield, Keene, Venus and Joshua. The Mansfield patient has recovered.

Of the 15 active cases in Burleson, five people are in their 40s, three are in their 50s and three are in their 20s. There is also a 14-year-old, 35-year-old female, 77-year-old male and 80-year-old male.

Two more Fort Worth police officers test positive for coronavirus, to recover at home

Two more Fort Worth police officers have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the department said Friday.

The officers have not worked since April 1 and are recovering at home and doing well.

Six Fort Worth officers have tested positive for the virus in total, according to the department. The first positive tests were on March 28, when two officers received that result.

American Airlines pilots request access to first-responder coronavirus screening

American Airlines pilots — 41 of whom have tested positive for coronavirus — are asking to be treated more like police and other first responders, with better access to screening and protective gear such as face masks.

Passengers on flights also should get better screening, according to the Allied Pilots Association, the union representing about 15,000 American Airlines pilots.

“As the only group traveling repeatedly and rapidly across the country, flight crews deserve protection and special care to prevent further spread of the virus,” the association said in an email to its members. “Asymptomatic crew members are far less likely to spread the virus if equipped with personal protective equipment.”

Fort Worth-area Open Door Church handing out 65 tons of fresh food for Easter

Open Door Church in Burleson has been giving out food every Sunday for 25 years. This Easter Sunday won’t be any different.

The church will be handing out 65 tons of fresh food, volunteers decked out in gloves and masks, to combat the spread of coronavirus and putting food in the cars of anybody who needs it.

The global outbreak of coronavirus has led to economic troubles for many Americans, and Open Door Church spokeswoman Kyp Shillam said that just adds necessity to the church’s mission.

The church, 301 S. Dobson St., has enough food ready for 2,000 people, including fresh meat, vegetables, dairy and other produce. Some of the food will be canned, but Shillam said the focus is on fresh foods.

Churches, synagogues celebrate holy days in new ways due to coronavirus

Greater Saint Stephen First Church is for the first time in its history going to be offering Easter morning communion in the form of a drive-thru.

Families will be invited to wait in a line of cars on Sunday morning in the church parking lot, according to the Rev. Michael Bell. Three parishioners in plastic gloves and face masks will stand on the opposite side of a long table, setting down sealed bags of wafers and cups of grape juice. Passengers in cars can then take communion as the volunteers recite the traditional prayer.

There will be bins at the end where people can discard trash. “Just like when you go through McDonald’s,” Bell said.

Inside of the sanctuary, he will be leading a traditional Sunday service to empty pews and a few other people like his son, who will operate the camera sending a livestream onto Facebook.

The church, which serves around 500 African-American residents on the east side of Fort Worth, had only done traditional services until coronavirus stay-at-home orders came down about three weeks ago. Church leadership, wanting to reach the community during a time of fear and uncertainty, took the almost 40-year-old institution in a new direction by providing virtual services.

Bell plans to spend his Easter morning sermon talking about what it takes to power through challenging times, as the church has been doing.

“How do we meet and overcome those?” the pastor said over the phone on Thursday. “My message is going to be to encourage them to stay home, to not get caught up in all of the panic...do something constructive in the midst of all of this. What is it that you’ve been trying to work on — that you’ve been wanting to work on and never got around to doing — that you can do right now?”

Places of worship across the Dallas-Fort Worth region have been finding new ways to meet their members without the ability to gather as one due to COVID-19. And this week, institutions are marking major holidays in unprecedented ways that allow members to connect from a distance.

Churches are live-streaming Easter services produced by only videographers, a couple of musicians and a pastor or a priest. Synagogues are also live-streaming worship services during the seven-day Passover, which started Wednesday evening, as well as encouraging families with out-of-town family members to do virtual Seders.

Rabbi Andrew Bloom of Fort Worth’s Congregation Ahavath Sholom pre-recorded his Thursday evening holiday service on Monday so he could host a Seder with loved ones. He and his wife were planning to sit down at the table with their two daughters, joined by their son who lives in Virginia and two other families on the Zoom app.

Editorial: How to reach coronavirus deniers like Fort Worth video crowd? Peer pressure, to start

We’ve all shaken our heads at news reports of people who can’t seem to grasp the concept of social distancing to slow the spread of coronavirus. But a hastily recorded video of a southeast Fort Worth gathering, captured by a congressman, has driven home how far we have to go.

It demonstrates that for all the slogans and orders from all levels of government and media, far too many people have either missed the message or just aren’t buying it. Tarrant County and Fort Worth need new strategies to reach traditionally underserved communities, overcome misinformation and persuade more people that they have a part to play in saving lives.

It’s hard for those who are taking the coronavirus threat seriously and complying with demands and recommendations to fathom that so many aren’t. But the video that Rep. Marc Veasey, D-Fort Worth, shared, which shows a large gathering of mostly young black adults in a parking lot celebrating a friend who recently died, is not a fluke.

Read more here.

Federal judge rules some abortion procedures can continue in Texas despite state’s ban

In the latest ruling in the legal saga over whether most abortions can continue in Texas amid the novel coronavirus’ spread, a federal judge ruled Thursday that some procedures may proceed despite Gov. Greg Abbott’s ban.

U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel in Austin issued a temporary restraining order, granting abortion providers’ request to allow medical abortions, that are often induced by ingesting pills, and abortion procedures for patients who would be unable to access services during Abbott’s ban on elective medical procedures due to limits on gestational age.

In Texas, most abortions are banned after 20 weeks — resulting in some patients unable to legally access an abortion by the time Abbott’s executive order expires on April 22. Abbott also has the authority to extend the order.

The ruling comes just two days after a panel of judges at the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals based in New Orleans ruled in favor of Texas, overturning Yeakel’s earlier ruling that granted a temporary restraining order to prevent the ban on most abortions that aren’t essential for a patient’s health.

On March 22, Abbott issued an executive order meant to increase hospital capacity to combat the novel coronavirus’ spread, and directed healthcare providers to postpone surgeries and procedures that aren’t medically necessary to correct a serious medical condition or to preserve the lives of a patient. Attorney General Ken Paxton clarified the next day that abortion providers were not exempt from the order, and said that only abortion procedures essential for the mother’s health would be permitted.

Woman in her 60s is the 20th coronavirus death in Tarrant County, 8th in Fort Worth

A Fort Worth woman in her 60s is the 20th coronavirus-related death in Tarrant County.

It’s the eighth COVID-19-related death in Fort Worth. The woman had underlying medical conditions.

There have been three deaths in Arlington, two in Forest Hill, two in Haltom City and one each in Euless, Hurst, Grand Prairie, River Oaks and Southlake.

There have been 637 confirmed coronavirus cases in Tarrant County as of Thursday, an increase of 49 cases from Wednesday. The total includes 61 recovered patients.

“The best way to fight this illness for now is to stay at home and not catch it in the first place,” Tarrant County Public Health Director Vinny Taneja said in a release.

Two elderly men are Dallas County’s 21st, 22nd coronavirus deaths as cases spike again

Dallas County confirmed two more coronavirus-related deaths Thursday and 108 new cases to push the total confirmed patients to 1,432.

The latest victims were a man in his 80s who was a resident of a long-term care facility and in hospice care and a DeSoto man in his 70s who had been hospitalized.

Thursday’s new case report increased by 45 patients from the day before, when 63 new cases were reported.

About 70% of patients requiring hospitalization have been 60 or older or have at least one known high-risk chronic health condition. Almost 30% of hospitalized COVID-19 patients have been diabetic.

Dallas man, 53, is 6th coronavirus death in Collin County; 29 new cases reported

Collin County confirmed a sixth coronavirus-related death and 29 new cases Thursday.

A 53-year-old Dallas man who had underlying health conditions has died. Other COVID-19-related deaths were two in McKinney and one each in Anna, Plano and Frisco.

There have been 406 total cases in the county, including 235 active patients and 165 recovered patients. Thirty patients have been hospitalized.

Denton County confirms two more coronavirus deaths in Lewisville, 28 new cases

Denton County reported two more coronavirus-related deaths and 28 new cases Thursday.

Two Lewisville residents, a female in her 50s and a male in his 70s, are the eighth and ninth COVID-19-related deaths in the county. Both were hospitalized and locally transmitted the virus.

“This terrible news underscores the significance of the stay-at-home mandate and the importance of practicing social distancing on all outings. We must work together to flatten the curve,” Denton County Judge Andy Eads said in a release.

The county has confirmed 426 coronavirus cases, including 131 recovered patients. No new cases were reported at the Denton State Supported Living Center, where 97 residents and employees have contracted COVID-19.

Texas lawmaker: Elected officials shouldn’t be paid next time they close businesses

State Rep. Matt Krause sees the effect stay-at-home orders are having on people across the state.

Small businesses are trying to get loans to stay afloat and unemployed workers are trying to get state benefits to pay their bills after officials closed nonessential businesses to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus.

So the Fort Worth Republican has an idea.

If elected officials order business closures — even if it’s to protect the public from a health crisis such as COVID-19 — then they shouldn’t get a paycheck until the orders expire.

“We should all share in that sacrifice, especially in times like this,” said Krause, who asked the Texas Legislative Council to turn his idea into a bill he may propose when the Legislature returns to work in January. “I think that would be a badge of honor for an official to say ‘I know you are feeling the effect of the economic downturn because of decisions we made.’

“And I’m feeling it too.”

TCU going online-only for summer courses during coronavirus crisis, with a twist

Joining a growing list of universities around the nation, TCU is going to an online-only format for summer courses amid lingering concerns over the coronavirus pandemic, the school said Thursday.

The university said it is facing the same uncertainties for the summer courses as it did when transitioning to online-only for the spring semester last month. However, TCU is adjusting its approach by offering fully online courses and what it’s calling “hybrid” online courses for the summer.

Students work independently in traditional online courses, but the “hybrid” courses will have students attending virtual sessions with other students.

“These courses offer students an interactive experience with faculty members and their peers as they progress through the course,” said Kate Marshall, TCU’s distance learning director in the Koehler Center for Instruction.

TCU said registration for summer and fall courses begins April 20.

Governor Greg Abbott says golf courses are non-essential. So why are they still open?

Most Tarrant County golf courses remain open, amid confusion as to whether Gov. Greg Abbott’s clarification this week that they are non-essential businesses actually applies to them.

Rockwood Golf Course, a Fort Worth-owned course, was open for play Thursday, according to a golf shop employee. So was Riverside Golf Course in Grand Prairie. So was the Golf Club of Fossil Creek in north Fort Worth.

The plan for those courses is to remain open until told otherwise.

Some local courses, though, had been told otherwise.

Mansfield National Golf Club, for instance, shut down operations Wednesday, sending out an email to its patrons that the course would be closed. A pro shop employee said the decision to close was a city-mandated order.

However, Mansfield has since changed course on its decision, clarifying its policy on Thursday evening. The city shut down courses after Abbott deemed them “non-essential.” Upon further review, though, it is now allowing courses to operate under certain guidelines such as walking only unless a patron is using their own personal cart (not rented from the golf course) and booking tee times is done online.

Lockheed Martin wants to hire 700 people in Dallas-Fort Worth despite coronavirus

While many businesses have furloughed and laid off workers, Lockheed Martin is hiring by the hundreds in Dallas-Fort Worth.

The Bethesda, Maryland-based company is hiring 5,000 people nationwide, including at least 700 new workers at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics in Fort Worth and the firm’s missile and fire control plant in Grand Prairie. Workers at the Fort Worth plant build the F-35 stealth fighter jet for the U.S. military and its allies.

About 20,500 people work for Lockheed Martin in North Texas.

“As we all deal with the challenges of the health crisis, we will continue to perform and deliver critical products and capabilities for the United States and our allies, support job creation and help those in need wherever we operate,” Marillyn Hewson, Lockheed Martin Corp. chairman, president and chief executive officer, said in a statement.

The company has hired 166 workers in North Texas in recent weeks, and is actively searching for another 700 people to fill jobs, 70 percent of which involve technical or engineering work, spokesman Kenneth Ross said.

Columnist Cynthia M. Allen: Catholic Charities Fort Worth adjusts expectations, but not mission, amid coronavirus

A group of volunteers, half wearing masks and gloves, cheerily unloaded food and toiletries from cars despite the cold and rain Saturday morning outside the Catholic Charities of Fort Worth donation center.

Like dozens of nonprofits across the county, Catholic Charities here has been turning to the community for help meeting basic needs for an onslaught of new clients.

President and CEO Michael Grace said Catholic Charities is planning for a minimum of 7,000 new requests for help, in addition to its ongoing caseload.

And that’s a conservative estimate.

Those 7,000-plus requests represent real people whose jobs have suddenly disappeared; whose incomes have dried up.

Read more about the Charities’ efforts here.

This story was originally published April 10, 2020 at 5:00 AM.