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.

Is it ‘foolish’ to reopen Texas? What to expect if you shop or eat out this weekend

Texas will look radically different on Friday than it did before the novel coronavirus struck, even as Fort Worth restaurateurs and retailers move eagerly to restart the economy.

Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday said restaurants, stores, theaters, museums and libraries could reopen at 25% occupancy if they ensured social distancing. It’s the first step in a three-part plan to reopen the state that he championed as both socially responsible and economically necessary.

Restaurant and store employees across Fort Worth will be wearing masks and patrons are encouraged to do the same. Many owners said they’re reopening out of necessity, with reservations about how the coronavirus will spread.

“It’s not going to look pretty,” said Gayle Hill, operating officer of Maverick Fine Western Wear and the General Store in the Stockyards.

Both stores are installing Plexiglass at checkouts, taping the floor to mark six-foot distances, and requiring employees and shoppers to wear masks. Sales have fallen more than 75%, she said, so the businesses need to reopen to survive.

Fort Worth restaurants are also taking steps to keep customers safe.

Tim Love has been working for about a week to open nine of his restaurants — excluding The White Elephant and Love Shack — and has consulted with the city to develop protocols for restaurants that go beyond social distancing.

Customers will be screened for fevers, he said, and some locations will have disposable bags to store masks. Each of his buildings has been professionally cleaned and staff will be instructed to wash their hands frequently.

Bar crawl ‘for freedom’ planned in Fort Worth Stockyards to protest coronavirus order

A “Honkytonk Crawl for Freedom” is planned in the Fort Worth Stockyards on Friday to protest state and local coronavirus shutdown orders.

Chris Putnam, a conservative who lost against incumbent Kay Granger in Texas’ 12th Congressional District Republican primary in March, is listed as the host of “The Fort Worth Stockyards Honkytonk Crawl for Freedom.” The protest is planned for 9 p.m. to 12 a.m. at the Basement Bar in the Stockyards, according to the Facebook event.

“Join freedom and liberty-loving patriots as we exercise our Constitutional right to peacefully assemble in support of Fort Worth Stockyards business owners challenging ongoing un-Constitutional, government-imposed closures,” the description of the event said.

On Tuesday afternoon, Putnam declined to comment.

The Basement Bar, which announced on Facebook it would open on May 1, is also listed as a host of the crawl. An owner of the bar, Johnny Cooper, said in a Facebook message that the Basement Bar did not create the event.

City officials said they are ready to issue violations over the crawl, said Brandon Bennett, director of Fort Worth Code Compliance.

“Our lawyers are preparing a letter to the business outlining our intended action for enforcement and we have reached out to TABC for assistance/address liquor license if they proceed in violation of the Governor’s Order,” Bennett said. “We are ready to address any violations.”

Gov. Greg Abbott announced Monday that certain businesses, including restaurants, retail stores and movie theaters, will be allowed to open up at limited capacity on May 1. Bars, however, are not among those businesses that are permitted to operate.

Tarrant County reports 5 more coronavirus deaths, including in Fort Worth, Arlington

Tarrant County reported five more coronavirus deaths and 69 new cases on Tuesday.

The deceased include two Fort Worth men in their 60s, a Grapevine man in his 80s, and two Arlington women in their 70s and 90s.

Tarrant County has confirmed 58 COVID-19 deaths and 2,088 cases, including 289 recoveries.

“Every loss of life to this disease is difficult for us to report, and we are sad for the families and friends of those who are lost,” Tarrant County Public Health Director Vinny Taneja said in a news release.

John Peter Smith Hospital has confirmed 200 positive COVID-19 cases, including 59 current coronavirus patients. Nineteen of the COVID-19 patients are in the intensive care unit, including 13 on ventilators

Of the 58 deaths, 33 have been residents of Fort Worth, six in Arlington, and two each in Azle, Forest Hill, Grapevine, Haltom City, Mansfield, and rural Tarrant County. There has been one death each reported in Grand Prairie, Hurst, Keller, Lakeside, River Oaks, Sansom Park, and Southlake.

After deadliest day, Dallas judge says ‘governor’s orders may change … science will not’

Dallas County tied a single-day high with 10 coronavirus deaths on Tuesday, ranging in age from 17 to the 90s.

Health officials also reported a single-day high 135 new COVID-19 cases for a total of 3,240, including 94 deaths.

Among the latest deaths were two Lancaster residents, including a 17-year-old girl and man in his 40s. Five of the patients were residents of Dallas, one was from Garland and one was from Carrollton. A male in his 60s who was an inmate at a state correctional facility also died. Three of the Dallas deaths were residents of long-term care facilities.

The deceased included two in their 30s, two in their 40s, two in their 70s and one each in their 60s, 80s and 90s.

Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins cautioned business owners and residents to adhere to strict social distancing pandemic guidelines despite Gov. Greg Abbott reopening up the state’s businesses beginning Friday.

“With the Governor’s decree [Monday] opening up more businesses throughout Texas, both North Texas business owners and residents must be particularly careful in making their best personal responsibility choices,” Jenkins said in a release. “The White House and most public health experts are cautioning that the safety precautions should not be loosened until deaths and new cases have seen a two-week decline and there is sufficient testing in the state to provide protection to workers and patrons in the newly open businesses.”

None of the criteria have been met, Jenkins noted, in either the state or in North Texas.

“So it’s particularly important that you exercise good personal decisions to keep you, your family and our community safe,” he said. “Remember, the Governor’s orders may change but the underlying science will not. I strongly recommend everyone take their advice from the CDC and local health authorities as to what is safe for them, their families and our broader community.”

Dallas-area high school student dies from coronavirus, officials say

A 17-year-old girl from Lancaster has died from the coronavirus, according to officials.

Jameela Dirrean-Emoni Barber, who was a student at Lancaster High School, is the first person to die from COVID-19 in the city, Lancaster Independent School District confirmed to Star-Telegram media partner WFAA-TV. Health officials there have confirmed 41 cases.

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to her family as they process the loss of their loved one,” Lancaster Mayor Clyde C. Hairston said in a news release. “It is devastating to see the havoc this virus has put on our community both young and old. We will continue to pray for the family and the safety of our residents during this difficult time.”

Hairston urged residents to continue to practice CDC-recommended social distancing guidelines to control the spread of COVID-19.

Lancaster ISD Superintendent Elijah Granger said in a letter to the community that Jameela was a well-rounded student who was part of the National Honor Society and involved with JROTC, according to the Dallas Morning News.

“Her absence leaves us with fond memories, and the unexplainable sadness of a life gone too soon,” Granger said. “While we will strive to move forward, this day in our district is marked by pain and despair.”

Despite Abbott’s coronavirus order, we should stay home, Tarrant commissioner says

Tarrant County’s stay-at-home order will expire Thursday and then Gov. Greg Abbott’s recent order that lets some businesses reopen on Friday will go into effect.

County commissioners decided Tuesday not to put their own order in effect, to avoid creating confusion with the governor’s order.

“I think he’s made it pretty clear,” Tarrannt County Judge Glen Whitley said Tuesday, during a break in the county commissioners meeting.

Abbott on Monday said Texas businesses will reopen in phases. On Friday, restaurants, movie theaters, malls, retail stores and more will be able to open doors to limited occupancy. The governor stressed that, while businesses don’t have to reopen Friday, officials in communities across Texas may not put stronger or weaker rules into effect.

“With the governor’s order, it was pretty well taken out of our hands to do anything to lessen the restrictions or allow us to modify it in any way,” Whitley said after some residents clamored during the meeting for their businesses to be able to reopen as well. “It is totally in the hands of the governor and the state when or how we open or close businesses.”

That means beauty and nail salons, barbershops and other businesses will have to wait to see if they can reopen in mid-May, when Abbott indicated the next phase may go into effect.

What should you do to stay safe as Texas reopens? Here’s what Fort Worth doctors say

As Texas eyes reopening the economy, Fort Worth physicians say they’re telling patients concerned about the novel coronavirus to stay home and exercise common sense.

Texas has lagged behind other states in testing for coronavirus, making it hard for health professionals to know the extent of the virus’ reach. Patients worried about their symptoms or the symptoms of a loved one have phoned their primary care doctor at a high rate, according to a sample of physicians who spoke to the Star-Telegram. Regardless, the physicians said they’re telling patients to stay away from others.

Social distance measures have worked to flatten the spread of the virus, said Dr. David Fleeger, president of the Texas Medical Association and an Austin-based colorectal surgeon. Hospitals are no longer expecting a massive surge of COVID-19 patients and the state has an abundance of open hospital beds, he said.

Officials may feel comfortable reopening sectors of the economy, but Fleeger stressed this should be done slowly in “baby steps.” People should still practice social distancing. Proper hand washing will continue to be important and wearing masks will reduce the risk.

“It would have to get many magnitudes worse before we start having significant problems,” he said. “We still need to follow the science.”

The number of positive cases in Texas is likely to continue to climb as testing becomes more available, but that doesn’t indicate the disease is spreading, Fleeger said.

Texas reopening malls and restaurants. Why you won’t see many public health experts there

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is partially reopening Texas on Friday. The stay at home order, he said Monday, “has done its job.”

Texas has just over 25,000 coronavirus cases, a number that has been increasing by about 700 to 900 per day in the last week. About 660 people have died, a number that continues to increase but by less per day than earlier this month.

Whether reopening is the right call, or whether Texas experiences a new wave of infections and death, will not become apparent for weeks. But three public health experts talked with the Star-Telegram shortly after Abbott’s announcement and expressed skepticism about the state’s readiness to reopen. They also offered tips for how people and businesses can create a safe environment. Here’s a rundown of the various pieces of Abbott’s plan, as well as his justifications for reopening, and the experts’ accompanying opinions.

And for the record, they don’t feel comfortable venturing out to a shopping mall or restaurant this weekend: “I can understand from the economic perspective why a governor would want to do this,” said Neale Chumbler, dean of the College of Health and Public Service at the University of North Texas. “But I will from a public health perspective wait a little bit until I see the cases go more on a downward spiral in terms of the infected population in Texas.”

Stores, restaurants can partially reopen Friday despite coronavirus, Abbott says

Gov. Greg Abbott outlined standards Monday to guide the next phase of reopenings amid the coronavirus outbreak, allowing Texas restaurants, retail stores, movie theaters, malls and more to reopen with limited occupancy starting Friday.

Businesses will be allowed to reopen in phases, with the first set permitted to operate at 25% capacity starting Friday. Depending on the spread of the novel coronavirus in the state, the second phase could begin as early as May 18, Abbott said.

Abbott’s previous executive order requiring Texans to stay home unless participating in activities deemed “essential” by the state has been in effect since April 2 and is set to last through April 30. Abbott said Monday from the Texas Capitol the order “has done its job to slow the growth of COVID-19” and that he will let it expire as scheduled.

Abbott said the state has been laying the groundwork to reopen since March, and he pointed to steps taken like closing schools for the remainder of the academic year, the state’s efforts to secure personal protective equipment, set up additional healthcare facilities and more.

“Now, it’s time to set a new course,” Abbott said, stressing that standards will be based upon data and doctors.

“We’re not going to just open up and hope for the best. Instead, we will put measures in place that will help businesses open while also containing the virus and keeping Texans safe,” Abbott said.

Abbott’s new guidance was crafted with the input from the “Strike Force to Open Texas,” a taskforce advised by public health experts, business leaders and state officials. The strike force issued a report Monday that includes detailed guidance for employees and businesses and recommends Texans avoid face-to-face interactions, wear face masks and remain 6 feet apart when in public.

As Texas starts reopening, here’s where you can go and what to expect

Thousands of Texas businesses have been cleared to reopen Friday under limited-occupancy rules as the state begins to take tentative steps forward during the coronavirus pandemic.

In Fort Worth and Tarrant County, many stir-crazy residents are likely to emerge from their homes, eager to shop for goods and services they haven’t enjoyed since Judge Glen Whitley issued a stay-at-home order five weeks ago.

The statewide order issued Monday by Gov. Greg Abbott supersedes local ordinances, which might clear up some of the confusion around what’s open and what’s not and what customers can expect when they arrive.

“This order allows these businesses to reopen,” Abbott said in a news conference Monday. “It doesn’t require them to do so.”

The governor’s order encourages Texans to wear face masks in public, but prohibits local governments from penalizing those who decline to wear them. The governor’s Strike Force to Open Texas issued a report to help businesses understand the steps they should take to reopen Friday but doesn’t specify how the many restrictions on businesses will be enforced.

When asked about enforcement, Abbott said violators could be fined up to $1,000 or jailed for up to 180 days. He said enforcement mostly would be left to local authorities, although violators could also lose their state licenses.

Here’s more of what to expect.

Ready to head back to work? Here’s what happens in Tarrant County on Friday

Many businesses throughout Tarrant County will be able to reopen their doors on Friday.

Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley said he will talk to the commissioners court Tuesday about Gov. Greg Abbott’s orders that allow restaurants, malls, movie theaters, libraries, museums, retail stores and more to reopen — at 25% capacity —on Friday. Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price said in a Facebook video she would allow the city’s stay-at-home order to expire Thursday and default to the governor’s guidance.

“I think it opens a lot of stuff up,” said Whitley, who initially had proposed reopening some businesses by the end of the first or second week of May.

Abbott’s order, which reopens Texas businesses in phases, supersedes local orders. He said the Texas Department of State Health Services will issue minimum standard health protocols for businesses and people to follow.

The governor said he will let his stay-at-home executive order expire Thursday. Stay-at-home orders in Fort Worth and Tarrant County also run through Thursday.

“I feel certain we will do as much as we can to mirror his order to begin to open things back up,” Whitley said, adding that the county doesn’t have to pass a new order and could let the governor’s order go in effect.

Price called Abbott’s plan “well balanced, well studied.”

Editorial: Here we go, Texas. Coronavirus reopening plan only works if we all pitch in

Ready or not, Texas is about to gradually reopen.

The next phase of returning to business and life that Gov. Greg Abbott outlined Monday is a modest step, with shops, restaurants and museums limited to 25% of their capacity when they reopen Friday. But after six weeks at home with nowhere to go, it feels momentous.

And it represents a risk, if a calculated one. Abbott and other state leaders expressed optimism that the spread of coronavirus has slowed. The governor said the infection rate has declined for 17 days.

But as we’ve said before, that information is only as good as the level of testing for the virus. And while new measures to expand testing continue to come online, Texas and Tarrant County remain far short of the level of testing experts suggest to ensure that reopening commerce won’t lead to a dangerous spike in cases.

Abbott’s order doesn’t appear to leave local officials with much wiggle room to tighten restrictions beyond what the governor outlines. We would have preferred more latitude for local officials to monitor conditions and react accordingly.

And the governor should have allowed for sensible regional cooperation. The Dallas-Fort Worth area should collaborate based on the overall level of disease in the area. Dallas and Tarrant counties have been on different pages since the outbreak began, and outlier areas such as Collin County and Colleyville have punched holes in the region’s protection from the spread of COVID-19.

But with the Abbott order in place, it’s time to make it work. The guidelines are at least clear; we shouldn’t see weeks of confusion about what’s an essential business and who’s allowed to be open. Restaurants, operating in a highly competitive environment, see a uniform playing field. And bars, salons and gyms will have to hold off awhile, despite the noise made by outlets such as Fort Worth’s Basement Bar and PR’s Saloon about defying local orders.

Fort Worth museums, libraries will remain closed despite Abbott’s relaxed order

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott gave museums and libraries the OK to reopen at limited capacity starting Friday, but many Fort Worth museums, including cornerstones of the city’s Cultural District, say they’re not ready to welcome visitors.

The Fort Worth Public Library will also not reopen its 15 branches.

Abbott Monday said he would allow the statewide stay-at-home order to expire Thursday and restaurants, theaters and stores could reopen at 25% occupancy. Museums and libraries could do the same, he said, with the possibility of expanding capacity to 50% if cases of the novel coronavirus don’t radically increase.

Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price said she would allow the city order to expire as well and follow the governor’s order. In an email, she said that once more was known about the governor’s plan the city would develop reopening protocols specific to Fort Worth.

Is Tarrant County flattening coronavirus curve? After worst week, new cases fall to 72.

Tarrant County finally saw a decrease in new coronavirus cases reported on Monday, after almost a week of daily case counts of more than 100.

The county reported 72 new COVID-19 cases and no deaths Monday, for a total of 2,019 cases, including 289 recoveries and 53 deaths.

There were a combined total of nearly 800 new cases confirmed last week, a weekly high for the county in which new cases spiked at 150 on Thursday.

Cases are reported when Tarrant County Public Health receives the test results, but officials cautioned early last week that some results had been delayed, resulting in a backlog.

Despite the deluge of new cases last week, the curve could be flattening, according to data tracked by the county which shows the specimen collection date. As of Monday, these numbers appear to be about 100 cases behind the case counts being reported daily. The rate at which cases are doubling is slowing down, according to the county’s collection date data.

The number of confirmed cases is currently doubling approximately every 17 days, according to the data.

As of Monday, 53% of hospital beds in the county were occupied. More than 3,000 beds were occupied, and 175 of those are confirmed COVID-19 patients, according to the county’s statistics.

Coronavirus cases at Fort Worth prison nearly double again, 2 more reported dead

A federal prison in Fort Worth reported 234 inmates have coronavirus, and two more people there have died from the virus as of Monday.

On Thursday, 131 inmates inside the Federal Medical Center in Fort Worth had tested positive for coronavirus. That number increased by 103 as of Monday. One staff member also tested positive for the virus last week.

There are 1,500 men inside the prison, many with medical needs that make them more vulnerable to coronavirus.

FMC Fort Worth has the highest number of inmates with coronavirus in the country, and the 234 inmates make up 22% of the federal prison system’s infected inmates. Across the country, 1,046 inmates and 330 Bureau of Prisons staff have tested positive for COVID-19. Twenty-eight inmates have died.

As of April 22, one inmate at FMC Fort Worth, Arnoldo Almedia, had died from coronavirus. Officials reported two more inmates with coronvairus had died as of Monday.

Since officials first reported 35 cases at FMC Fort Worth on April 21, the number of inmates who have tested positive has increased by 568%.

Third Trinity Metro bus driver in Fort Worth tests positive for coronavirus

A third Trinity Metro bus driver in Fort Worth has tested positive for coronavirus, the transit agency said in a press release Monday.

The driver operated on 14 Sylvania/NE 28th from April 5-20. The employee worked on Route 14 on April 5-6, April 10-12 and April 16-20, Trinity Metro said in a press release.

The driver has been self-quarantined since April 21.

Any passengers who rode Route 14 on these dates should monitor themselves for possible symptoms, contact their healthcare provider if any symptoms develop, and self-quarantine to avoid possibly exposing others, Trinity Metro said.

Tarrant County isn’t doing enough social distancing amid coronavirus, data shows

Many people are following stay-at-home orders and exercising social distancing.

But apparently not enough.

Tarrant County scored a D on the most recent COVID-19 social distancing scoreboard, according to smartphone GPS data compiled by Unacast, an analytics company that has gathered data from tens of millions of cell phone users across the world.

That’s slightly better than the state’s ranking.

Texas received a D-minus.

The number of cars on the road seems to grow day by day in Tarrant County. Parking lots at businesses that are open are more crowded than they were weeks ago, and an increasing number of party pictures are being posted on social media.

Stay-at-home orders in Tarrant County last through Thursday.

But a growing number of people are frustrated with staying home or not being able to go to work. And Facebook groups — such as Open Texas — are becoming more vocal, calling on Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and city and county officials to reopen the state for business.

Dallas County judge believes ‘a science-based approach’ to coronavirus is way to go

Dallas County reported 91 new coronavirus cases and two deaths on Monday.

The pandemic deaths included a Dallas man in his 40s and a Richardson woman in her 70s who was a resident of a long-term care facility. Both had been critically ill in area hospitals.

The county has confirmed 3,105 cases, including 84 deaths.

Monday’s COVID-19 new case total is down from Sunday’s 105, but that could reflect the fact that some labs do not report data on Sunday, Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said in a news release.

“After we see numbers from [Tuesday] and Wednesday we should get a glimpse into which way this week is trending,” Jenkins said. “I’m hopeful the Governor’s announcement of the additional businesses he wants to open will be in alignment with the CDC, public health authorities and the Epidemiology and Infectious Disease Departments of DFW, Harris County and other Texas urban area hospital systems.”

Jenkins said all of those agencies, plus the medical and hospital communities “are already aligned and I’m following their lead.”

“I believe a science-based approach gives us our best opportunity to save lives and open the economy in a way that will keep it open,” he said.

Johnson County reports coronavirus deaths of two men with ties to Alvarado

Johnson County reported its first two local coronavirus-related deaths Monday, including an 80-year-old Alvarado man.

County officials said the other deceased man was the former owner of Cactus Jack’s Boot Country, which is located near Alvarado at the corner of I-35 and U.S. 67. He died on April 10 after a three-week fight in an area intensive care unit.

Johnson County has reported 73 COVID-19 cases, including the death of three residents. The first man died a month ago in California after contracting the coronavirus on a cruise ship.

Of the 73 pandemic cases, 38 patients have recovered. There have been 30 cases confirmed in Burleson, 21 in rural Johnson County, 10 in Cleburne and four each in Alvarado and Mansfield. There have been two cases in Joshua, and single cases in Keene and Venus.

Denton, Collin counties might be flattening the coronavirus curve as new cases drop

Denton County reported 12 new coronavirus cases and Collin County reported 13 new cases on Monday.

Denton County has confirmed 725 COVID-19 cases, including 20 deaths and 344 recovered patients. No new cases were reported at the Denton State Supported Living Center, where 54 residents and 61 employees have contracted the virus. The county has 361 active cases.

Collin County has confirmed 673 COVID-19 cases, including 17 deaths and 463 recovered patients. Of the 196 current cases in Collin County, 29 are patients who are hospitalized.

Both counties have seen a decease in active cases over the past week.

Over the past four days, Denton County has reported 19, 22, 11, and 12 new cases. Collin County has reported 30, 15, 9 and 13 new cases. Case counts from Sunday, however, could be lower because some labs don’t file reports on Sundays.

This story was originally published April 28, 2020 at 5:00 AM.