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.

Four more coronavirus deaths in Fort Worth raise Tarrant County to 29 total; 929 cases

Tarrant County confirmed four more coronavirus deaths on Tuesday, all residents of Fort Worth.

All four patients had underlying health conditions, including a man in his 70s, two men in their 80s and a woman in her 80s. The county has confirmed a total of 29 COVID-19-related deaths so far, including 16 in Fort Worth.

The county added 53 new pandemic cases Tuesday for a total of 929 confirmed cases in Tarrant County, including 103 recoveries.

Almost 60% of the COVID-19-related deaths (17) in the county have been patients 65 or older, despite that age group making up about 20% of the total cases in the county. Nine deaths have been patients between 45 and 64, and three deaths were patients between 25 and 44.

Among the 25 deaths reported through Monday, nine were white, seven were black, seven were Hispanic and two were Asian.

“We are saddened by every death that occurs because of this virus,” Tarrant County Public Health Director Vinny Taneja said in a news release. “Our best hope to save lives in the future is to persevere; keep following the guidelines, and we will emerge stronger than before.”

Dallas County confirms single-day high of 10 coronavirus deaths, including man in his 30s

Dallas County reported 10 more coronavirus deaths on Tuesday, a single-day high.

There have been 42 COVID-19-related deaths in the county and 1,877 confirmed cases as of Tuesday, an increase of 89 cases from Monday.

Five of the 10 patients whose deaths were announced Tuesday were residents of long-term care facilities in Dallas.

A Garland man in his 30s was among the 10 deaths. He had been in critical condition at an area hospital. Three of the patients were in their 80s, three were in their 50s, and one each in their 60s, 70s and 90s. The deceased also included residents of Mesquite and DeSoto.

Most of the patients were hospitalized. The DeSoto man, in his 80s, was found dead at his home, county officials said.

“My heart goes out to their families and all who are suffering during this pandemic,” Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said in a news release. “Evidence continues to mount that the aggressive move to shelter in place on March 22 is flattening the curve in Dallas County and North Texas. We are in the middle of this fight and we must not waver from the exercise of sound personal decision-making and smart physical distancing.”

Homeless sick with coronavirus housed in RVs outside Fort Worth Convention Center

Four homeless people in Fort Worth have come down with the novel coronavirus and are being housed and treated in rented RVs parked outside the Fort Worth Convention Center.

The convention center opened last month to provide space when homeless shelters ran out of space because of required social distancing efforts to keep cots and people 6 feet apart.

Medical officials take the temperature each day of the people staying at the shelter. Additional tests are run on anyone with a fever.

Anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 and does not need to be at the hospital for ventilators or other treatment stays in the nearby RVs until they are no longer sick, said Richard Zavala, the city’s parks and recreation director.

“It’s the best place we have found to keep them safe and quarantined,” said Zavala, who is overseeing the shelter and RVs at the convention center.

Groups such as the National Alliance to End Homelessness say homeless residents can be especially vulnerable to coronavirus.

In Fort Worth, the general rule is one person per trailer, except for families. In one case, a woman with coronavirus is quarantined in one RV with her two children who are not ill.

Good job, Fort Worth! No citations issued to residents at parks over Easter weekend

Nice work, Fort Worth.

Fort Worth city officials noted on Tuesday that no citations were issued or arrests made over the Easter weekend after parks were closed to vehicle traffic due to the coronavirus pandemic.

In Dallas, Mayor Eric Johnson said on social media only eight citations were issued during the weekend at the 397 city parks. The parks reopened Monday.

Fort Worth officials had closed vehicle access to the 290 Fort Worth city parks for the Easter weekend, meaning no egg hunts, parties or gatherings.

Police and code enforcement officers can issue citations to residents in parks who are gathering and not adhering to social distancing standards.

“Some verbal warnings were given,” said city spokeswoman Diane Covey on Tuesday. “We were not out to issue citations. We just wanted to educate the public.”

Fort Worth officials had issued the order noting Easter usually was one of the busiest days of the year at Fort Worth parks.

City officials had urged residents to stay home or limit park visits to short walks or bike rides to keep the parks from being overcrowded.

Federal appeals court permits medication abortions to resume in Texas amid coronavirus

A federal appeals court ruled Monday that medication abortions, which are induced by taking pills, may continue in Texas — the latest in the legal battle over whether the state can ban most abortions amid the novel coronavirus’ spread.

The U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals’ ruling permits medication abortions to resume, which are allowed during the first 10 weeks of pregnancy. And it comes days after the New Orleans-based court permitted abortions for patients who would be unable to access services during Gov. Greg Abbott’s ban on elective medical procedures due to limits on gestational age.

In Texas, abortions are banned 22 weeks past a patient’s last menstrual period. Last week’s ruling permitted patients who would have reached that limit before Abbott’s order expires on April 22 to continue to receive abortions.

Monday’s ruling is the latest in the legal saga over Texas’ ban that stemmed from Abbott’s March 22 executive order that directed healthcare providers to postpone surgeries and procedures that aren’t medically necessary to correct a serious medical condition or to preserve the life of a patient.

Abbott said the order was intended to increase hospital capacity and conserve personal protective equipment to combat the novel coronavirus’ spread. A day later, Attorney General Ken Paxton clarified that abortion providers were not exempt from the order, and said that only abortion procedures essential for the mother’s health would be permitted.

While anti-abortion groups celebrated Paxton’s interpretation, abortion providers represented by the Center for Reproductive Rights, the Lawyering Project, and Planned Parenthood Federation of America quickly followed two days later with a federal lawsuit against Texas officials in an effort to stop the state’s ban.

Lockheed Martin addresses concerns about safety amid coronavirus spread, union says

The president of largest union at Lockheed Martin in Fort Worth said he has been working with company leaders to make sure employees are safe while working as the threat of coronavirus spreads.

Paul Black, the head of the Lockheed Martin District Lodge 776 of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, said working with Lockheed officials has been “trying at times,” but that he and his business representatives have walked the floor of the Fort Worth location to talk with members and lodge complaints.

“If we see things that we think need attention, like if the break room or restrooms need to be sanitized, we report it to the company and ask them to take action,” Black said on Monday.

The response, he said, is sometimes slower than the union would like, but he says Lockheed has been working with them.

“None of us saw this coming and like a lot of other companies, it’s been hard to come by masks and hand sanitizer,” he said. “I know they have made efforts to get some of that stuff and I think some of it has started to come in and from what the company is telling me, they’ve got their hands on some masks. So they have been responsive, sometimes it’s not as quickly as we’d like but some of that is based on the supply chain.”

Concerns about safety at Lockheed Martin have grown since Lockheed was deemed an essential business. Though company leaders say that everyone who can work home is, efforts to clean the plant entirely aren’t possible when you’re building aircraft, Black said.

After slow Sunday, Tarrant County coronavirus cases rise again with 70 reported Monday

Tarrant County confirmed 70 new coronavirus cases Monday for a total of 876.

The county has reported 25 deaths and 103 recoveries.

The sharper rise in cases comes after a decline in new cases reported Sunday.

Fort Worth has 335 confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 38 recoveries and 12 deaths. Arlington has 145 confirmed cases, including 18 recoveries and three deaths.

Forty-one percent of patients are between the ages of 45 to 64, 35% are 25 to 44, and 19% are 65 or older. Five percent of patients are 24 or younger.

Dallas County confirms 32nd coronavirus death, 65 new cases

Dallas County reported its 32nd coronavirus-related death and 65 new cases Monday.

The 32nd death was a woman in her 80s who was a resident of a Dallas long-term care facility. She had been critically ill in an area hospital and had underlying health conditions.

There have been 1,788 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the county.

Of cases requiring hospitalization, 69% have been over 60 years old or have had at least one known high-risk chronic health condition. Diabetes has been an underlying high-risk health condition reported in about 30% of all hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

“Today’s numbers may be artificially low due to some labs being closed [Sunday],” Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said in a news release. “Safer At Home is working because the vast majority of the people of North Texas are making good personal responsibility decisions. Keep it up and together we will ‘Flatten The Curve.’”

Collin County reports 2 coronavirus deaths, including 5th in McKinney, for total of 10

Collin County confirmed two more coronavirus deaths Monday, including the fifth in McKinney and first in Wylie.

There have been 10 total confirmed COVID-19-related deaths in the county, including one each in Anna, Frisco, Plano and Dallas.

An 88-year-old woman from Wylie and a 82-year-old woman from McKinney, both with underlying health conditions, died early Monday morning, according to health officials. The McKinney woman died at her home, and the Wylie woman died at a local hospital. Both women were diagnosed with COVID-19 late last week.

“We extend our deepest sympathies to the families and loved ones of both these ladies,” Collin County Judge Chris Hill said in a release. “Our thoughts and prayers are with them all at this time.”

There have been 472 confirmed cases in the county, including 96 in McKinney and 12 in Wylie. Of the total confirmed cases, 259 patients have recovered and 20 are hospitalized.

Jail confirms 2 Tarrant County inmates have tested positive for the coronavirus

Two Tarrant County jail inmates have received positive test results saying they have contracted COVID-19, according to a news release issued Monday by the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office.

The two inmates have been quarantined since they first reported symptoms last week, the release said.

Several other inmates with flu-like symptoms have received negative coronavirus tests results, the release said.

Jail staff instituted mandatory multiple temperature checks daily for food vendor employees, inmates and staff as well as started contact tracing to identify people who may have been in close proximity to the infected inmates, the release said.

Several areas within the jail will remain on quarantine status until all inmates are confirmed COVID-19 free in order to curb the spread of the disease, the release said.

Tarrant County has the 15th largest jail in the United States, according to the release.

Coronavirus strikes Bell helicopter workers in Fort Worth, Grand Prairie and Canada

Four workers at Fort Worth-based Bell, a defense and commercial aviation company that specializes in building helicopters and developing drone technology, have tested positive for coronavirus, officials said.

One employee has fully recovered and will return to work Tuesday, a company spokeswoman said. The other three workers are recovering at their respective homes.

Two of the workers were based at Bell’s Fort Worth plant, just south of Hurst, and a third employee was based in Grand Prairie. A fourth case involved a worker at Bell’s facility in Mirabel, Canada.

“We can confirm that three cases were contracted while the employees were out of the office, and they did not return to work afterward,” spokeswoman Lindsey Hughes said in an email. “The one case at our Grand Prairie facility, the employee had been out of the office for three weeks with another illness when they tested positive.”

Denton County confirms 25 new coronavirus cases, including 3 more at living center

Denton County reported 25 new coronavirus cases Monday, including three new cases in residents of the Denton State Supported Living Center.

The county now has 507 total COVID-19 cases, including 13 deaths and 182 recovered patients. The number of active cases dropped to 312 on Monday after three days of increasing. That’s 26 fewer than on Thursday.

At least 100 people have been infected at the DSSLC, including 53 residents and 47 employees.

The city of Denton has confirmed 90 cases, not including the 53 center residents. Infected center employees are counted in the city where they reside.

Long-term care facilities in the county have a total of 17 coronavirus cases.

Denton County cases have come mostly through community spread, with 396 from local transmission, including 208 patients who contracted the virus from contact with a known case. Recent travel was listed as the cause for 108 patients and five transmission types were undetermined.

Burleson up to 20 coronavirus cases, including 3 recoveries; Johnson County at 35 total

Burleson added two more coronavirus cases to bring Johnson County’s total to 35, including 20 in Burleson.

Other confirmed COVID-19 cases include five in Cleburne, six in unincorporated Johnson County and one case each in Mansfield, Joshua, Keene and Venus.

At least five patients have recovered, including three in Burleson and one each in Mansfield and Cleburne.

Coronavirus won’t stop Fort Worth from fixing potholes but some work delays likely

Don’t worry, your least favorite pothole will still get fixed during the coronavirus pandemic and — maybe — sooner.

While much of the city is at a standstill, Fort Worth road crews are moving “full steam ahead” on the bulk of street construction projects. That’s despite the looming tax revenue deficit of around $70 million related to the novel coronavirus shutdown.

But William Johnson, director of Transportation and Public Works, said there’s plenty to do and enough money locked in from bond programs to keep crews moving. With a countywide stay-at-home order in place, the decrease in traffic may help crews get some work done sooner, he said.

“For the most part, we’re charging ahead,” Johnson said.

These Fort Worth-area venues are bringing science, music into living rooms

The popular Fort Worth Museum of Science and History and Bass Performance Hall are closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but you can still attend a symphony performance, an opera or learn how to dissect an egg from the comfort of your couch.

The Museum of Science and History, the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra and the Fort Worth Opera have activities for children and adults who are stuck at home during the coronavirus outbreak.

Here is a roundup of the fun for kids and adults.

This story was originally published April 14, 2020 at 5:00 AM.