Coronavirus live updates July 6: Here’s what to know in the Dallas-Fort Worth area
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.
Free walk-up COVID-19 testing available in Fort Worth
Help is available for those seeking COVID-19 testing as demand surges in Tarrant County and across Texas amid all-time highs in new cases.
A free walk-up testing site is open in Fort Worth.
The three-day testing site hosted by the Texas Department of State Health Services, the Texas Division of Emergency Management and City of Fort Worth Office of Emergency Management is open Monday through Wednesday at Maude I. Logan Elementary, 2300 Dillard St., in Fort Worth.
No appointments will be necessary, but those tested must have access to a telephone because results will be communicated via call or text.
The testing will be each day from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.
As demand for COVID tests spikes, Tarrant County’s test sites ‘completely booked out’
Over a weekend, Jeff’s elderly father developed a fever, chills and broke out into sweat. Among other tests, his doctor recommended he get tested for the novel coronavirus.
At 81 years old, Jeff’s father is at higher risk of developing complications if he contracts the virus. And while his dad lives alone in Arlington, Jeff, who asked his last name not be used to protect his father’s privacy, wanted to be cautious and help reduce the spread if his dad did have it — especially for the handful of caregivers that assist his dad.
So on June 28, Jeff, who lives over 1,500 miles away in California, started to look for an appointment in Tarrant County for his dad to get tested. Jeff filled out the screening questions through Tarrant County Public Health’s portal and was told his dad qualified for a drive-through COVID-19 test.
“These are the earliest available appointments based on the zip code you provided,” the webpage read.
There were none.
Jeff called the county’s COVID hotline to try and find out exactly when more would be available. They didn’t have a concrete answer, and recommended to just keep checking back.
“That’s the part where the system seems to be broken. It’s very disappointing. It’s discouraging, disheartening. It creates a little bit of anxiety,” Jeff said, noting that cases are only increasing. “Are we gonna be able to make things better if we can’t get enough testing to find out who’s got it?”
Jeff isn’t the only one who’s been unable to schedule a test. Demand for testing has skyrocketed, in both Tarrant County and across Texas as the state sees all-time highs in new cases.
Tarrant County Public Health Director Vinny Taneja said that recently the county’s screening portal has seen as many as 1,500 people try to schedule an appointment per day. Meanwhile, available appointments through the county’s portal are between 150 to 550 depending on the number of sites operating, Taneja said.
Appointments for last week were already filled by Saturday night, Taneja said. And through next Friday, appointments were already completely booked through the county’s screening portal as of Thursday afternoon.
Estimated active cases over time
Coronavirus daily active case estimates by local counties in the Dallas - Fort Worth metroplex, beginning April 8, 2020. Data provided by Texas Health and Human Services.
‘Scary, unknown’: Fort Worth workers struggle to navigate the coronavirus economy
Brian Golden’s job is safe for now, but he worries about what lies ahead.
“It’s going to be a bad winter for a lot more people,” said Golden, 53, an aircraft mechanic at Fort Worth-based American Airlines. The company has announced plans to cut about 5,000 management and support staff jobs as it slashes costs to avoid bankruptcy.
The COVID-19 pandemic is battering the Fort Worth-area economy in thousands of ways, and Golden’s experience in the hard-hit aviation sector — which happens to be the North Texas region’s largest employer — is just one example.
Dallas-Fort Worth has already lost 340,800 jobs since February, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That figure includes a steep increase in North Texas unemployment claims in March and April, although unemployment rebounded in May with 1,600 fewer claims.
But the numbers only tell part of the story.
To understand more about how COVID-19 is affecting the Fort Worth area economy, the Star-Telegram asked people from some of the job sectors hit hardest by the downturn to share their stories. The people we interviewed give personal glimpses into the effects of COVID-19 on industries such as oil, ranching, health care, restaurants and retail.
Although their backgrounds are varied, many have shared concerns — including their ability to make ends meet financially, and the health of their loved ones.
Abbott mandates face masks in most public spaces in Texas to curb COVID spread
After facing growing calls to mandate face masks statewide, Gov. Greg Abbott issued an executive order Thursday requiring most Texans wear face coverings in public spaces to help limit the spread of novel coronavirus.
The order took effect at 12:01 p.m. Friday. Texans in counties with 20 or more confirmed COVID-19 cases must wear a face mask in buildings and businesses open to the public and in outdoor public space where maintaining six feet of distance from another person isn’t feasible. The mask must cover both their nose and mouth.
Also starting Friday afternoon, Abbott banned most outdoor gatherings of more than 10 people, unless approved by local officials. Abbott had previously limited outdoor gatherings to 100 people.
Thursday’s announcement comes as Texas braced itself for anticipated gatherings over the Fourth of July weekend and is working to curb all-time highs of new cases and hospitalizations of COVID-19 patients.
The executive order provides limited exceptions. Texans under 10 years old or people with a medical condition or disability that prevents them from wearing a face covering are exempt.
In addition, people are also not required to wear a face mask while seated at a restaurant or eating and drinking, while exercising outside if they can maintain a safe distance from others, while driving alone or with members of their household, while swimming in a pool or lake, while giving a speech or if a person must temporarily remove their face mask, like for security purposes while visiting a bank or while receiving personal care services.
Face masks are not required but strongly encouraged for people during religious services, when voting and in counties with few COVID-19 cases that opt out and have filed the necessary forms with the Texas Division of Emergency Management. A list of counties exempt from the order will be posted at tdem.texas.gov/ga29/.
Abbott issues order limiting outdoor gatherings. Not in my county, one judge says
Hours after Gov. Greg Abbott issued an executive order to help slow the surging coronavirus pandemic in Texas, one North Texas county was not adhering to part of the mandate.
Collin County Judge Chris Hill is allowing residents to gather outside in groups larger than 10 by his own executive order Thursday.
There have been 3,199 COVID-19 cases, including 45 deaths, confirmed in Collin County, including 86 new cases Thursday.
Abbott’s order, which went into effect at noon Friday, requires Texans to wear face coverings in public spaces in counties with 20 or more COVID-19 cases.
Abbott, however, also issued a proclamation giving mayors and county judges the ability to impose restrictions on outdoor gatherings of more than 10 people. The governor made it mandatory, with some exceptions, that residents can’t be in groups larger than 10 and must keep 6 feet of social distancing.
But Abbott also explicitly allows for local officials to permit outside groups of 10 or more in the same proclamation.
Abbott’s proclamation says outside gatherings of 10 or more “is prohibited unless the mayor of the city in which the gathering is held, or the county judge in the case of a gathering in an unincorporated area, approves of the gathering, and such approval can be made subject to certain conditions or restrictions not inconsistent with this executive order.”
COVID-19 Hospitalizations over Time
Coronavirus daily hospitalization counts in Texas and the larger Trauma Service Areas, beginning April 8, 2020. Data provided by Texas Health and Human Services.
Tarrant County reports COVID-19 numbers for July 2; July 3-5 figures coming Monday
Tarrant County on Sunday reported 585 new coronavirus cases and three deaths, but the latest figures are only from Thursday’s test results.
The county, which did not release updates Friday and Saturday because of the Fourth of July weekend, will report cases and deaths for July 3-5 on Monday.
No information on the latest deaths were released Sunday.
The new report brings the total number of deaths to 236 and infections to 14,008 in Tarrant County. At least 5,618 people have recovered, though hospitals and patients are not required to report recoveries.
Tarrant County hospitals have confirmed 533 beds are occupied by coronavirus patients, with 1,809 hospital beds open. There are 423 ventilators available across the county. The county does not report the number of ventilators in use for COVID-19 patients.
Fort Worth has the highest number of confirmed cases in the county since the pandemic reached Texas with 6,666 confirmed infections and 130 deaths. Arlington has the second highest at 2,776 infections and 36 deaths.
Dallas County reports more than 1,000 new coronavirus cases for 3rd day in a row
Dallas County reported 1,062 new cases of coronavirus on Sunday, bringing the county’s total to 25,840.
The county did not report any additional deaths due to COVID-19; 395 people have died from the virus in the county, according to the health department.
Sunday was the third day in a row the county reported more than 1,000 new cases of the virus, and County Judge Clay Jenkins warned on Twitter that the county is “experiencing rampant community spread.”
He also urged people to forgo going to restaurants or anyplace where mask-wearing isn’t possible the entire time, and to avoid places where there are many communal surfaces, such as bowling alleys and movie theaters. He said people should not participate in group activities and continue to social distance.
“Please move from selfishness to sacrifice for the benefit of your neighbors and community health and wear a mask within six feet of people outside your home,” he said in a statement Sunday.
COVID-19 cases over time
Coronavirus daily case counts over time by local counties in the Dallas - Fort Worth metroplex. Tap the arrow button to replay the animation. Data provided by Texas Health and Human Services and local counties.
GOP activist, conservatives sue Abbott to stop Texas’ mask mandate from being enforced
The day Gov. Greg Abbott’s mandate that face masks be worn in most public places across Texas went into effect, a GOP activist and group of conservatives filed a lawsuit in an attempt to block it.
In the lawsuit, filed Friday in Travis County District Court, Houston GOP activist Steven Hotze, former Republican state Rep. Rick Green, former chair of the Republican Party of Texas Cathie Adams and two Houston business owners argue that Abbott’s executive order and the law that gives him the authority to issue it are unconstitutional.
The lawsuit was filed by Jared Woodfill, a Houston attorney and former chairman of the Harris County Republican Party, who has been involved in previous challenges to Abbott’s executive orders. It seeks both a temporary restraining order and permanent injunction against Abbott’s order, which it argues is “an invasion of liberty.”
“Today a mask, tomorrow a hazmat suit — where does it stop? Everyday GA-29 is in effect, the government tramples on the liberties of Texans,” the lawsuit reads.
A spokeswoman for the Attorney General’s Office said the office had no comment, and a spokesman for the governor did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday afternoon.
Fort Worth bar that hosted Fourth of July protest event may be shut down for 30 days
A Fort Worth bar and music venue may be shut down for 30 days after hosting a “Tea Party Protest” inside the bar on the Fourth of July.
Chris Polone, owner of Rail Club Live, planned the gathering as a protest against the “unjust shutdown” of bars. Last week, Gov. Greg Abbott ordered bars to close to try to slow down the spread of coronavirus in Texas. Polone said while coronavirus is serious, he does not think it is fair that restaurants, amusement parks and other crowded places can remain open while bars have to shut their doors.
“(People) think we’re doing it for attention or a money grab or we’re trying to hurt people,” he said. “That couldn’t be further from the truth.”
Tarrant County code compliance issued a notice to Rail Club Live on June 29 saying that they should stay closed, code compliance director Brandon Bennett said. They also notified the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission of the bar’s plans.
Polone said the bar took extra precautions to make sure Saturday’s event was safe.
Groups of four people sat at 10 tables that were spread out inside Rail Club Live at 3101 Joyce Drive. Employees handed out masks and mandated that everyone wear them inside. Tape on the floor boxed in each table and Polone asked everyone to stay within their box. Polone said no alcohol was served and no admission was charged, which he said made the event a lawful protest.
The Centers for Disease Control classifies being inside a bar as high-risk and recommends that people stay home.
A state police officer with the TABC spoke with Polone at the bar during the gathering. Polone recorded the interaction on Facebook Live. In the video, the officer hands Polone a copy of Abbott’s order and tells him if he does not shut down, the state will shut down the bar for 30 days.
Hispanics most affected by coronavirus in Tarrant County as leaders call for action
Clinica Hispana Tu Salud is a small clinic in Fort Worth’s Northside that has been seeing Hispanics with COVID-19 symptoms drop by every day in the past few weeks.
Jose Romeo Sosa, manager of Clinica Hispana, says the clinic can’t really do much for these patients other than refer them to an emergency room.
“They come knocking on our door every single day and we can usually tell right away if they have the virus,” Sosa said in Spanish. “But at that point, there’s not much we can do but refer them to a hospital if they have symptoms.”
Sosa also says that the clinic has been facing a shortage of COVID-19 test kits.
“Our focus is on the Hispanic community, the ones without insurance. We’re supposed to be accessible, so this situation is bad,” he said.
According to the U.S. Census, non-Hispanic whites make up the majority in Tarrant County, yet the Hispanic population here has been disproportionately affected by COVID-19.
As of July 2, the majority of all reported COVID-19 cases in the county were Hispanic at 39%, compared to 21% for whites. About 20% of cases did not report race or ethnicity.
A recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveals that Hispanics are four times more likely to be hospitalized for COVID-19 than non-Hispanic whites.
Vinny Taneja, Tarrant County’s top public health expert, said that poverty, lack of access to health care, multi-generational living arrangements and population density are some factors possibly contributing to this public health disparity in Tarrant County and throughout the country.
Weary Fort Worth nurse says COVID-19 toll on health care workers, patients is rising
A nurse at John Peter Smith Hospital said stress is growing among healthcare workers who treat COVID-19 patients as caseloads rise and more hospital employees get sick.
The nurse said healthcare workers worry about getting the virus and are concerned about what the number of sick employees could mean for patient treatment.
“You hear a lot that we might need more beds, which is true, you physically need beds. You can’t just add more healthcare workers,” the nurse said. “That’s everyone’s concern, that there’s not enough staff.”
The nurse spoke about other ways the pandemic is taking a toll on healthcare workers and provided a glimpse at patient treatment and conditions at JPS. The nurse spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of being fired by JPS for speaking publicly. The person showed a reporter a copy of a JPS identification to prove employment.
On Saturday, 93 COVID-19 patients were being treated at JPS and, as of Thursday, more than 60 employees were out sick after testing positive, according to data provided to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. It’s the highest number of COVID-19 patients the hospital has seen in one day.
The nurse is fearful that people are not taking precautions to stay healthy more seriously.
“It’s going to get worse, it’s just a matter of when,” the nurse said.
Coronavirus cases spike at Cook Children’s in Fort Worth
Coronavirus cases have more than doubled in the past two weeks at Cook Children’s in Fort Worth, and the spike has health officials at the medical center concerned.
As of Thursday, the hospital had confirmed 286 COVID-19 cases among 6,300 children tested since March. More than half of the confirmed cases had come in the past 11 days.
“What we are noticing is that the number of cases is ballooning over a short period of time,” said Nicholas Rister, a pediatric infectious diseases physician at Cook Children’s Medical Center. “We understood that as we re-opened Texas we would see more cases. I think these numbers show that this disease spreads among all people, and that includes children.”
Rister said the majority of children should be able to recover on their own, but some will need oxygen support and even a ventilator.
“It’s rare for a child to become so ill they need a ventilator because of the virus, but we have seen it and it’s something we want to prevent,” he said.
‘You can’t create a bubble’: Texas high schools struggle to keep COVID out of sports
The NBA, aspiring to host a bubble season in Orlando, can’t get away from the coronavirus despite having billionaire owners and millionaire players and a 113-page rulebook stuffed with health protocols. College athletic directors, who expressed confidence a few weeks ago about the safety of football players on mostly empty campuses, are now thinking hard about delaying the sport until the spring. The MLS, attempting a separate Orlando bubble, is finding that even the bubble isn’t safe, with FC Dallas’ entire team and staff placed in isolation after several of them tested positive after their arrival in Florida.
So where does that leave Texas high schools? They have limited budgets, limited testing measures and far less control. “You can’t create a bubble,” said Anthony Criss, the football coach at Arlington Sam Houston. “They’re children.”
And so far, after starting voluntary summer workouts on June 8 under strict safety guidelines, hoping to gauge the possibility of playing games in the fall, high schools have discovered the difficulty of sports in a pandemic, especially with a fraction of the resources of professional and college programs.
Last week, the UIL recommended all workouts statewide be postponed from July 3 to July 13 to reduce coronavirus spread. The recommendation came after many high schools made the same decision on their own, unable to make it through the month of June. At least 200 schools, from North Texas to the Valley, suspended workouts on at least a temporary basis in June, with many of those suspensions extending into the middle of July or indefinitely. All of the high schools in the Dallas, Austin, San Antonio and Houston school districts announced they were shutting down before the UIL made its recommendation.
Of the districts in Texas’ five biggest cities, Fort Worth has been the only one to not announce a similar suspension, although it had planned to stop activities next week to give coaches a break. Todd Vesely, the district athletic director, said they have not had to stop workouts because of coronavirus at any of the campuses. “I really don’t have an answer to it,” Vesely said. “What I can say is that this has taken extensive planning and meticulous implementation at the campus level.”
Fort Worth man not letting COVID stop him from running to raise funds for Alzheimer’s
Brian Hill is taking on one of the toughest challenges of his life to raise awareness about Alzheimer’s disease, running a 135-mile course in the Las Vegas desert where temperatures will soar well over 100 degrees.
Hill, who is from Fort Worth, will start his 135-mile journey Monday to raise money and awareness about Alzheimer’s disease, the fifth leading cause of death in the United States.
“People who are caregivers or those with Alzheimer’s disease face far bigger challenges than this,” Hill said referring to his upcoming race.
Hill said temperatures on Monday will reach 108 degrees, but his route through a city park means he will be exposed to temperatures close to 130.
But running in extreme heat isn’t daunting for Hill who for the past two years has competed in the Badwater 135, described as the toughest foot race in the world.
The race starts in Death Valley and ends at Whitney Portal, the highest point in the lower 48 states. In fact, he was supposed to run that race next week, but the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic stopped the race from going forward when organizers canceled it.
This story was originally published July 6, 2020 at 11:36 AM.