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.

Southlake Public Works employee dies of coronavirus, city officials say

A Southlake Public Works employee described as a dedicated civil servant and a U.S. Marine Corps veteran has died from COVID-19, city officials announced.

Darlene Rubio lost a 16-day battle with the illness on Thursday, according to a GoFundMe page raising funds for her children. She was a mother of three, the organizer wrote on the page, as well as a daughter, sister, aunt and friend.

She loved her family and cherished taking her kids to Dallas Cowboys and Texas Rangers games, the organizer wrote.

Rubio worked for the City of Southlake for four years and was most recently an administrative secretary for the public works department, according to a news release on Southlake’s community website MySouthLakeNews.com. The Southlake government Facebook page shared the release in announcing her passing.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with Darlene’s family today,” the Southlake Department of Public Safety wrote in a Facebook post.

As child abuse increases amid coronavirus, Fort Worth area group seeks more volunteers

Advocates fear the novel coronavirus’ spread has contributed to an increase of child abuse, and a group that trains volunteers to advocate for children as they move through the child welfare system is urging for additional help.

CASA of Tarrant County is calling for more volunteers to apply to serve as court-appointed special advocates, or CASAs, who advocate for children who have been removed from their parents in cases of abuse or neglect.

Cook Children’s Medical Center saw an increase in cases of severe child abuse in March, and advocates worry cases of suspected abuse and neglect may be going unnoticed with schools closed. Fort Worth police who specialize in crimes committed against children recently opened their fourth such investigation in less than a month — this time, triggered by the death of a 3-year-old boy on Easter Sunday.

CASA of Tarrant County’s CEO Don Binnicker said in a statement Thursday that he worries more volunteers will be needed as cases of abuse increase as the pandemic continues.

“When the COVID-19 crisis broke, we immediately became concerned that this gap would widen, since we feared that the stress of job losses, confinement, and healthcare worries — combined with the loss of the watchful eye of teachers and child care providers — would lead to an increase in child abuse and neglect,” Binnicker said in a news release. “Given the reports coming out of Cook Children’s and the numbers we’re seeing from CPS, it appears that our worst fears are already coming to pass.”

CASA of Tarrant County has been training volunteers for more than three decades, and the organization has established virtual information sessions and training for social distancing. Active volunteers have also shifted to video and phone calls to complete virtual visits with foster families for the time being, according to a news release.

The next virtual information sessions are scheduled for noon on April 24, and 6 p.m. on April 30, according to CASA of Tarrant County’s website.

A federal loan program ran dry, leaving Fort Worth small businesses waiting for money

A federal program designed to help small business employees maintain their paychecks during the coronavirus recession dried up Thursday and stopped taking new applications, leaving an untold number of Fort Worth-area businesses wondering when assistance will come.

The $350 billion Paycheck Protection Program was a major part of the $2 trillion economic stimulus package passed three weeks ago, but the funds ran out with the U.S. Small Business Administration posting on its website Thursday morning that it was “unable to accept new applications for the Paycheck Protection Program based on available appropriations funding.”

A similar loan program for disaster relief has also dried up.

Small business owners with loans that haven’t been processed must wait for Congress to approve a Trump administration request for $250 billion more.

Many of those who already had money approved are still waiting for checks and countless others are wondering if they’ll be approved. It’s a double punch of anxiety, said Brian Happel, CEO of the Fort Worth market for BBVA Compass.

“This has probably been one of the most emotional things I’ve done over my 37 years as a banker,” he said. “Some of the people we’ve called ... they’ve literally cried on the phone, that’s how much this money has meant to them and their employees.”

Other options are available for small businesses.

The city of Fort Worth and small business lender PeopleFund established the Business Resiliency Microloan Program Wednesday with an initial investment of $850,000. The pool of money available for local businesses could grow to $1.7 million if demand is high. The loans can be used to pay debts, payroll or cover other bills. At least 1,400 small businesses responded to a city survey saying their biggest concern is revenue to support payroll. Applications are available through PeopleFund’s website.

Early this week Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced a similar program of $50 million in loans for small businesses

Tarrant County reports 3 more coronavirus deaths, 54 new cases

Tarrant County reported another three coronavirus deaths and 54 new cases Saturday.

There have been 1,229 cases across the county with 38 deaths and 188 recoveries, according to the county public health department.

The three latest deaths were all women over 60, officials said in a news release. That includes a woman in her 60s who lived in Fort Worth, a woman in her 70s from Mansfield and a woman in her 70s from Keller.

Two of the women had underlying health conditions.

Tarrant County Public Health Director Vinny Taneja said in the release “every loss of life is painful to report.”

“Our condolences go out to the families of these residents,” he said.

Although only 18 percent of Tarrant County cases have involved residents 65 or older, more than 60 percent of those who have died have been in this age group, according to data from the health department. People ages 45-64 have made up 32 percent of deaths and those in the 25-44 age range account for 8 percent of the deaths.

There have been no deaths in people age 24 and under, according to the data.

More than 50 percent of those infected with the coronavirus in Tarrant County have been men and more than 65 percent of the deaths have involved men, the data shows.

There were 111 confirmed COVID-19-occupied beds in Tarrant County as of Saturday, according to the county public health department.

Dallas County ends deadliest coronavirus week with 5 more deaths, record 134 new cases

Dallas County reported five more coronavirus deaths and a single-day high 134 new cases Saturday.

It’s the second-consecutive day the county has reported a record number of new cases. Health officials reported 124 on Friday. There have been 60 pandemic-related deaths, including 33 this week, and 2,324 total cases in the county.

“This is why we must limit unnecessary trips, wear a cloth covering at essential business and continue making good personal responsibility decisions,” Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said in a release. “This is why we must listen to public health officials as leaders contemplate loosening safety orders.”

Of the five latest deaths, three were residents of long-term care facilities in Dallas, one was a resident of University Park and one was a resident of Grand Prairie. Three were in their 70s, one was in her 90s and one in his 80. All five had been critically ill in area hospitals.

Carrollton man is Denton County’s 16th coronavirus death

Denton County reported on Saturday its 16th coronavirus-related death and seven new cases.

The latest death is a Carrollton man in his 70s who had been hospitalized.

The county has confirmed 592 COVID-19 cases, including 248 recoveries and 16 deaths. There were 94 confirmed cases in Carrollton, including 64 in Denton County (30 in Dallas County) as of Friday.

“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.”

No new cases were reported at the Denton State Supported Living Center, where 54 residents and 47 employees have contracted the coronavirus.

Seventeen residents of long-term care facilities across the county have tested positive for COVID-19.

McKinney woman dies a day after coronavirus diagnosis; 13th in Collin County

Collin County reported an 82-year-old McKinney woman is the county’s 13th coronavirus-related death on Saturday.

The woman had underlying health conditions and died at home early Saturday morning. She tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday.

“All of us at Collin County are saddened at the report of a COVID-19 death within our community,” Collin County Judge Chris Hill said in a release. “To her family, please know that you are in our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.”

The county reported just one new case for a total of 522, including 322 recovered patients and 13 deaths. Of the 187 active patients, 14 are hospitalized. Almost 1,000 residents are being monitored for symptoms by county health officials.

The county reports 3,279 negative COVID-19 tests.

Construction worker at TCU’s new music center tests positive for coronavirus

A construction worker at TCU’s music center has tested positive for coronavirus, the school announced Friday night.

It’s the third positive test affiliated with TCU, along with a construction worker on the football stadium and a student. The two previous cases have recovered.

TCU said the construction worker on the music center last worked on site Thursday, and the area has been cleared of personnel and sanitized. TCU will pause construction on the new build for 14 days out of an “abundance of caution.”

“The general risk to the TCU community from this case is considered low, given that the construction site is a new building and closed to anyone other than construction personnel” the school said.

TCU said this is the only positive case on campus for now.

TCU has gone to online-only courses for the rest of its spring semester, although there is a limited number of students remaining on campus. The university said summer courses would be online-only as well.

Lockheed Martin gives 16,000 meals to nonprofits after food contractor loses business

Lockheed Martin will deliver about 4,000 meals a week for the next month to community organizations in Fort Worth, the company said on Wednesday.

The company’s food service contractor, Compass, had to lay off employees because of the significant drop in demand for meals as people transitioned into working from home.

Instead, Lockheed has kept its food order, which will help keep eight to 10 Compass workers employed.

Lockheed will use those meals to serve the Presbyterian Night Shelter, Salvation Army and (beginning in May) Union Gospel Mission.

This story was originally published April 19, 2020 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Coronavirus live updates April 19: Here’s what to know in the Dallas-Fort Worth area."