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.

Mobile COVID-19 test site planned as Tarrant commissioner asks for more testing

A Texas National Guard pop-up coronavirus testing site will come to Tarrant County this week.

The site will briefly boost testing in the county at a time when the state moves forward with reopening the economy — a point of concern for two county commissioners who said more tests are needed.

The Tarrant Commissioners Court approved using a vacant county corrections annex building in Bedford as a temporary testing site on Friday and Saturday. National Guard troops will be on hand from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 837 Brown Trail and will have the capacity to test 100 people each day in a drive-through manner.

The mobile site will move around the four largest DFW counties, said County Administrator G.K. Maenius. When it returns to Tarrant County it will be relocated to a different “hot spot” for coronavirus cases, he said.

Tests through the mobile site are available to anyone. Appointments can be made by txcovidtest.org or by calling 512-883-2400.

Commission Roy Brooks voiced frustration about moving forward with Gov. Greg Abbott’s plan to reopen the Texas economy without more abundant testing.

“There are a lot of people who don’t feel comfortable about that without having access to a test,” Brooks said.

The governor has promised to increase testing statewide.

Texas sends drug remdesivir to Dallas-Fort Worth hospitals to treat COVID-19 patients

To treat patients with the novel coronavirus, Texas is shipping 1,200 vials of the experimental drug remdesivir to Texas hospitals, including in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

The Texas Department of State Health Services announced Tuesday that it received 30 cases of the antiviral drug from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The supply was donated by the drug’s manufacturer Gilead Sciences Inc., and is enough to treat approximately 120 patients, according to a news release.

There is no proven treatment for the novel coronavirus. Remdesivir is among the investigational drugs being studied for effectiveness in treating COVID-19 patients.

The state is shipping its supply to 15 hospitals in 14 communities. It is sending three cases to the John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth and four cases to Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, according to the news release. Each case contains 40 vials of the drug, which is administered intravenously.

Chris Van Deusen, a spokesman for DSHS, wrote in an email Tuesday that the state plans to ship the cases out Tuesday to arrive Wednesday.

Catherine Bradley, a spokeswoman for the Parkland Health and Hospital System, wrote in an email Tuesday that the hospital was notified it would receive the shipment, and that it’s grateful to receive a portion of the donated drugs. Diana Brodeur, a spokeswoman for JPS, wrote in an email that the hospital did not request the shipment, but that it will be used to treat COVID-19 patients.

Tarrant judge wants all staff tested for coronavirus at Fort Worth prison with outbreak

Tarrant County officials want every staff member at a Fort Worth federal prison tested for coronavirus due to an outbreak among inmates.

At FMC Fort Worth, 641 inmates tested positive for COVID-19 in the past month and a half, according to union president and corrections officer Gregory Watts. Five inmates have died from the virus.

Three staff members have tested positive, one of whom has returned to work. That staff member originally tested negative for the virus and continued to work, but tested positive a week later, Watts said.

Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley said he was surprised by the prison’s jump in numbers over the weekend, and demanded the approximately 300 staff members be tested for the virus.

“I’m not saying offer (the test). We want them to be tested,” Whitley said at a county commissioners’ meeting Tuesday.

The prison reported 423 of its coronavirus cases to Tarrant County health officials on Friday and Saturday, although on Friday, the prison had at least 547 confirmed cases.

‘Cali is so yesterday,’ Fort Worth mayor tweets to Elon Musk in pitch for Tesla move

California is yesterday and Fort Worth is now, so Elon Musk should move his Tesla headquarters here, Mayor Betsy Price said Tuesday.

Price tweeted at Musk, the billionaire tech entrepreneur behind the Tesla electric car company in pitching Fort Worth as having more available land than any other major city in Texas. The two tweets appeared to be an attempt to woo Musk to North Texas. Last week he threatened to relocate to Nevada or Texas, citing strict coronavirus rules in California.

“Above all, we’ve got a trailblazing, pioneering spirit and a community unlike any other,” Price said in a follow-up tweet.

The tweets also tagged Hillwood, the Ross Perot Jr. company that manages the AllianceTexas mega development in far north Fort Worth. Alliance Airport and the surrounding area have been pitched as a mobility innovation zone where companies can develop, test and commercialize mobility technology.

Tarrant County reports 5 more coronavirus deaths — 3 in Fort Worth, 2 in Arlington

Tarrant County reported five more coronavirus deaths and 65 new cases on Tuesday.

The deaths include three Fort Worth residents and two Arlington residents. The Fort Worth residents included men in their 50s and 80s and a woman in her 80s. The Arlington deaths included men in their 50s and 80s.

Tarrant County has confirmed 3,810 COVID-19 cases, including 109 deaths and 809 recoveries.

Of the 109 total pandemic-related deaths, 66 have been in Fort Worth and 11 have been in Arlington.The 109 deaths have been 48% white (54 patients), 25% black (27), 24% Hispanic (25), 3% Asian/Pacific Islanders (3), and 1% American Indian (1).

Dallas County reports more than 200 new coronavirus cases for 10th straight day

Dallas County reported 236 new coronavirus cases and three more deaths on Tuesday.

It’s the 10th consecutive day the county has reported more than 200 cases.

There have been 6,359 total COVID-19 cases, including 148 deaths, in the county.

The latest pandemic-related deaths include a Dallas woman in her 40s, an Irving man in his 50s and a Dallas woman in her 60s.

Color-coded guidance system debuts in Dallas County

Dallas County debuted a new guidance system for the risk of contracting COVID-19, including a color-coded chart denoting four levels of risk to the public.

Red, the current status, means the public is at high risk, orange is a moderate risk, yellow is a low risk and green means a “new normal risk.”

Infectious disease specialists and public health experts will use the latest information on local disease activity to advise county officials on the risk level that applies.

“The goal of this system is to protect you and those around you from COVID-19 infection,” a release states. “Green is the lowest level and represents the new normal needed to protect the community from a return of COVID-19 and appearance of future pandemics.”

“Residents are urged to strictly follow the protective measures of each color to maintain their own health and avoid a resurgence of the epidemic that would cause greater economic harm,” the release states.

Texas AG Ken Paxton calls Dallas judge’s pandemic order ‘overbearing government action’

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton warned Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins that some of his pandemic orders are unlawful and unenforceable.

Letters also went to Bexar County and the city of San Antonio and Travis County and the city of Austin.

Paxton says several of Jenkins’ coronavirus orders go too far in limiting the freedoms of residents and are superseded by Gov. Greg Abbott’s executive orders.

At issue in Dallas County are orders related to shelter in place, houses of worship and the wearing of masks.

Jenkins responded to the warning with a statement.

“We intentionally modeled the public health guidelines based on the Governor’s recommendations, never imagining he did not want his own guidelines followed,” Jenkins said in a release. “I ask the public to make decisions based on the recommendations of public health professionals: our lives depend on it.”

Reopened Texas tattoo shop receives notice to close after coronavirus concerns raised

A Hurst tattoo shop owner who reopened over the weekend despite a statewide coronavirus executive order received a note Monday from Hurst city officials asking for the business to close.

But North Texas Tattoo Co. had not received a citation or any fines as of Monday.

The Hurst business got the note Monday afternoon, saying they should stay closed until Gov. Greg Abbott approves reopening of tattoo businesses in Texas.

“So sorry to hear of the tough times. I’ve included info on PPP program and EIDL. I’ve also included a couple of Hurst resources,” wrote Steve Bowden, Hurst executive director of economic development, in the note.

Bowden said Tuesday the city got calls from residents who were concerned that the business was open after reading about it in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

“I went by and shared material that could help them apply for PPP and EIDL financial aid,” Bowden said in a Tuesday email. “Shared that they would need to temporarily close until Governors orders allows their opening and gave them contact info for the Governors Strike Force where they could request consideration for the reopening approval of their type of business.”

“We plan on staying open,” said Ashley Craig, one of the owners of North Texas Tattoo Co., on Tuesday. “Customers are coming in just by appointments.”

Nordstrom reopens stores across Texas, but one near Fort Worth has closed for good

While many Nordstrom retail stores reopened across Texas on Tuesday, one Dallas-Fort Worth location has been closed permanently.

The Nordstrom inside North East Mall in Hurst has shut down for good, the company confirmed Tuesday.

“These types of decisions are never easy because we realize what this means for our employees,” the company said in a statement. “We’re committed to taking care of them as best we can, including providing support and resources through this transition.”

The Hurst location was the closest Nordstrom to Fort Worth and the only one in Tarrant County, although there are Nordstrom Rack stores in Arlington and Southlake that are reopening.

USA Gymnastics postpones 2020 national championships at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth

Another event at Dickies Arena has been postponed amid the coronavirus pandemic.

USA Gymnastics announced Tuesday that it will not hold certain premier events in 2020, including next month’s U.S. Gymnastics Championships that were supposed to be held June 4-7 at Dickies Arena. Instead, that event will take place June 3-6, 2021 at Dickies Arena.

“In light of recent guidance from health experts, and after receiving feedback from our athletes and coaches, we believe it is in the best interest of our community to wait until 2021 to hold premier events,” USA Gymnastics CEO Li Li Leung said in a statement.

Here’s why many are rushing to get their wills drawn up amid the coronavirus pandemic

Watch the TV news and every night you’ll see the growing tally of coronavirus cases — and the increasing number of people who have died from it.

Attorneys are seeing a growing interest in people who want to draft or update their wills. And online sites that help people with those documents are seeing a boost in interest as well.

“COVID is a wake up call,” said Renee Fry, CEO of Gentreo, an online-estate planning platform. “People are saying they don’t know what the future holds but they want to be prepared.”

Some don’t want to even think about creating or updating a will because it makes them realize that there’s no guarantee on how long anyone has to live.

But many are facing their mortality, and planning for the future, as more than 1.3 million cases and more than 78,000 deaths — including more than 1,000 Texans — have been tied to coroanvirus in the United States.

Airlines make passengers wear masks but don’t always leave the middle seats open

As airlines try to rebound from the coronavirus crisis, some of the new rules of the skies can be confusing.

For example, Fort Worth-based American Airlines and other carriers now require travelers to wear face masks. But, despite that precaution, when passengers board their flights they’re still sometimes seated just inches from other strangers on the aircraft.

This week some San Francisco-based health care workers who were returning from volunteering their time fighting COVID-19 in New York posted comments on Twitter about their flight home being full.

The outrage came after United Airlines had sent those passengers emails pledging that the middle seats would be left open on the flight for social distancing — but instead United put warm bodies in just about every seat.

‘You don’t want to go through this.’ Father of Myles Turner on his coronavirus battle

A few NBA players have been hit with the coronavirus, an All-Star lost his mother to it, and now Myles Turner has been confronted with the confusing frightening reality of it all.

The former Euless Trinity and Texas star who is in his fifth season with the Indiana Pacers came home to Colleyville in the middle of March and shortly thereafter his father, David, tested positive for COVID-19.

David Turner is a coronavirus success story, but reaching that point sounds miserable.

About the only part of this experience David avoided was needing a ventilator. He was laid up in a hospital for several days, during which time he was essentially in isolation.

“It’s just what you normally hear, it’s all true,” David said in a phone interview with the Star-Telegram a few days ago. “I lost my sense of taste. I had the body aches. Fever chills. Bad, bad headaches. Worse than a migraine. It was bad.”

The whole experience prompted his son Myles to make a $50,000 donation to the COVID-19 Response fund at Texas Health HEB, the hospital where both he and his sister were born.