Coronavirus live updates July 8: 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.
Any Texas student may learn online in fall. Masks, symptom checks required for campus
Students returning to campuses this fall amid the novel coronavirus’ outbreak must screen themselves for symptoms and must wear masks if Gov. Greg Abbott’s order mandating them is still in place, according to guidance released Tuesday by the Texas Education Agency.
While schools must provide daily on-campus attendance for students, parents may request their children be offered virtual instruction from any district offering it. However, they may be asked to commit to remote instruction for at least a full grading period, and parents who choose to switch from a virtual to classroom setting may be limited to transitioning at the end of grading periods.
Districts may also temporarily limit access to in-person instruction during the first three weeks of the school year, according to the public health guidance. The guidance takes effect immediately, and applies to both summer school classes and plans for the 2020-21 school year.
“Both as Commissioner and as a public school parent, my number one priority is the health and safety of our students, teachers, and staff,” Texas Education Agency Commissioner Mike Morath said in a statement. “That is why the guidance laid out today will provide flexibility to both parents and districts to make decisions based on the ever-changing conditions of this public health crisis.”
In a news release, the agency said that assuming Abbott’s mask mandate issued last week is still in effect, schools will be required to comply with it. Children under 10 years old are exempt from wearing a mask under Abbott’s order, which applies to counties with 20 or more confirmed COVID-19 cases.
Districts also have the option to require the use of face masks or shields for adults and students “for whom it is developmentally appropriate.”
Tarrant County hospital capacity
Hospital capacity by available beds and ventilators for Tarrant County. Data provided by Tarrant County Public Health.
Tarrant County on pace to double COVID-19 cases in three weeks, health official says
Coronavirus is spreading so quickly in Tarrant County that the total number of cases is now doubling about every three weeks.
That’s what Public Health Director Vinny Taneja told county officials Tuesday during their weekly meeting. There have been 15,585 positive coronavirus cases, including 248 deaths, in Tarrant County.
“Twenty-three days ago, we were about half of where we are now,” Taneja said. “If we maintain this pace, in 23 days, we will double this.”
He said there might be a spike in two or three weeks as tests and results from those who publicly celebrated July 4 are expected to be reported.
Unlike earlier spikes linked to prisons, this one a community outbreak, Taneja said.
He said said younger people, particularly those 25 to 44, are getting sick with COVID-19, which means fewer are dying from the disease.
Fort Worth-area residents upset about masks demand ‘our freedoms back’ as COVID surges
Mitchell Blackburn is fed up with being told he has to wear a face covering.
The Tarrant County man wore one Tuesday to be allowed into the room where county commissioners meet every week.
But he removed it when it was his time to speak to the elected officials.
He said he’s “shocked and amazed with how many people are compliant” with the requirement that they wear masks to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Tarrant County health officials on Tuesday painted a serious picture of COVID-19, and the need for masks to prevent the continued growth of cases.
Blackburn dismissed that argument, saying the virus is “not much more dangerous than the flu” and that cases are on the rise because of increased testing. While the number of tests have increased, so have the percentage of positive cases — the seven-day average has been above 17% since June 20. That number in early April was below 10%.
Blackburn and others said local and state officials have violated people’s fundamental rights with executive orders requiring face coverings.
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.
Arlington gym member punched employee enforcing COVID mask rule, victim and police say
A member of an Arlington gym punched an employee in the face on the Fourth of July after he was told to leave because of his refusal to adhere to new face-mask rules, according to police and the man who was assaulted.
Arlington officers responded to the LA Fitness on Little Road around noon Saturday, a police spokesman confirmed in an email. on Tuesday. Detectives are investigating the incident as a Class A misdemeanor assault with bodily injury, due to the injuries sustained by the gym’s fitness director, Sterling Malone, 31. Police have identified the suspect but didn’t release his name because charges have not been filed.
Malone, who was left with a bloodied lips from the attack, said he revoked the man’s membership to LA Fitness — this location or any other. He had already been planning to remove him as a member when he started to cause a scene, Malone said.
As people worked out around the gym, Malone was reminding them one by one of Gov. Greg Abbott’s new executive order mandating businesses in counties with more than 20 coronavirus cases need to require that face coverings be worn. Inside LA Fitness, that meant members now had to wear masks even on the machines, instead of only having to wear them when moving around. Everyone was complying with the rule, even if some were begrudging, Malone said.
But then, he said, a man without a mask who was using various lifting machines asked him, “What about everybody else?” Malone told him he would talk to the others who didn’t have their masks on, he said, and the man agreed to put on a mask after his current set. He never put it on, though, and became more combative.
Tarrant County reports record 757 new COVID-19 cases, 10 more deaths
Tarrant County reported a record 757 new COVID-19 cases along with 10 more deaths on Tuesday.
The county now has had a total of 15,585 cases and 248 deaths, according to the Tarrant County COVID-19 statistics website.
The latest deaths include:
A man in his 80s, a woman in her 50s, a man in his 30s and a man in his 70s, all from Fort Worth.
Two women in their 80s from Mansfield.
A woman in her 80s and a man in his 60s, both from Arlington.
A man in his 90s and a man in his 50s, both from Grand Prairie.
All of them had underlying health conditions, according to a Tarrant County Public Health news release.
Arlington and Fort Worth continue to lead the way in the number of both cases and deaths in the county. Fort Worth has had 7,248 cases and 135 deaths, while Arlington has had 3,118 cases and 39 deaths.
At least 6,686 people have recovered, while 585 known COVID patients were hospitalized in the county as of Tuesday.
COVID-19 patients occupy about 10% of all available hospital beds in Tarrant County, a sharp increase from 3% on June 1.
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.
For 5th day in a row, Dallas County reports over 1,000 new COVID-19 cases
Dallas County reported 1,077 new COVID-19 cases and nine more deaths on Tuesday.
The county’s cases continue to rise and Tuesday marked the 5th day in a row when the county reported more than 1,000 new cases. The county now has had a total of 28,131 cases and 410 deaths. County Judge Clay Jenkins tweeted that there continues to be wide community spread.
The new deaths include:
A man in his 60s from Dallas. He did not have an underlying health condition.
A man in his 60s from Mesquite. He did not have an underlying health condition.
A woman in her 70s from a DeSoto long-term care facility. She did not have an underlying health condition.
A man in his 70s from a Dallas long-term care facility. He had an underlying health condition.
A woman in her 80s from Dallas. She did not have an underlying health condition.
Two men in their 80s from DeSoto long-term care facilities who did not have underlying health conditions.
A man in his 90s from Mesquite. He had an underlying health condition.
A man in his 90s from a Mesquite long-term care facility. He did not have an underlying health condition.
In his tweet, Jenkins pointed out that most of the people who died didn’t have underlying health conditions. He also called for more actions to keep the community safe. Jenkins recently asked Gov. Greg Abbott to reinstate a new 30-day “Stay Home, Stay Safe” order. Jenkins had also asked for the state to require face coverings, which the governor did last week.
In the same tweet, the county judge said doctors discourage in-restaurant dining and people should avoid bowling alleys, amusement parks, concert venues, sporting arenas, movie theaters, gyms and public pools.
Texas reaches record 10,028 new COVID-19 cases, an all-time high in hospitalizations
On Tuesday, Texas reached record numbers in three key COVID-19 statistics: new daily cases, new daily deaths and all-time high in hospitalizations.
Texas reported 10,028 COVID-19 cases, 60 deaths and 9,286 coronavirus hospitalizations, the highest reported number of hospitalizations related to the virus at one time, according to Texas Department of State Health Services data. On Memorial Day, the total number of patients hospitalized was 1,511. Experts attributed the rise in hospitalizations, in part, to recent holiday weekends, such as Memorial Day, and were wary of what would happen in the weeks after the Fourth of July weekend.
Almost 600 more individuals are being hospitalized for COVID-19 than on Monday and COVID patients occupy 17% of all available beds. The previous single-day high number of cases for the state was 8,258. The previous single-day high for deaths was 58, which was reported on May 14, according to the data.
More than 200,000 cases and 2,000 deaths have been reported in total, according to the state data. It’s estimated that over 100,000 people have recovered.
Gov. Greg Abbott told KENS-TV in San Antonio that Tuesday’s record-breaking figures, “should be an alarm bell for everybody watching this show right now who was been a disbeliever about whether or not COVID-19 really is a threat.”
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.
Big Tex will not greet visitors this year. State Fair of Texas canceled due to COVID.
Officials with the State Fair of Texas announced on Tuesday they have canceled the event for 2020 because of COVID-19 concerns.
It will be the first time since World War II that the State Fair of Texas in Dallas has not opened.
“This was an extremely touch decision,” said Gina Norris, board chair for the State Fair of Texas, in a news release. “The health and safety of all involved has remained our top priority throughout the decision-making process.”
Norris added, “One of the greatest aspects of the Fair is welcoming each and every person who passes through our gates with smiles and open arms. In the current climate of COVID-19, there’s no feasible way for the Fair to put proper precautions in place while maintaining the Fair environment you know and love.”
It will be just the eighth time in the 134-year-old history of the fair that it has been canceled. Before this year, the fair had been canceled because of World War I in 1918, the planning for the Texas Centennial Exposition and the Pan American Exposition (1935-1937) and World War II (1942-1945).
Texas-OU football at Cotton Bowl still a go, despite State Fair of Texas cancellation
While officials with the State Fair of Texas announced on Tuesday they have canceled the event for 2020 because of COVID-19 concerns, that decision has no impact on the college football games set for the Cotton Bowl on the grounds of the fair.
What that means is the annual Red River Showdown between Texas and Oklahoma is still a go, as planned, at least for now.
“Though we certainly respect and understand the decision of the folks in Dallas on their cancellation of this year’s State Fair of Texas, we fully anticipate that our annual Red River Showdown with Oklahoma will be played in the Cotton Bowl and are continuing to prepare for that,” Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte said in a media statement Tuesday afternoon.
“We know the decision to cancel the fair was an extremely difficult one for everyone involved and that we all are dealing with a very fluid situation during these unprecedented times. But, as we’re doing with all of our fall season planning, we will continue to monitor the situation closely, work through contingencies and make the best possible decisions we can with the health, safety and well-being of everyone involved as our number one priority.”