Coronavirus live updates July 9: 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.
Texas limits outdoor gatherings of 10 or more. Fort Worth likely won’t grant exemptions
Planning a pool party, graduation celebration, softball game or wedding?
As coronavirus cases continue to rise, outside events such as these that include more than 10 people now must be approved by local officials, under a proclamation issued by Gov. Greg Abbott that went into effect July 3.
In Tarrant County, city residents must get permission from the mayor and those in the unincorporated part of the county must get permission from the county judge.
But don’t think that approval is a given.
Fort Worth, for instance, is not accepting applications for exemptions, said Laken Rapier, a spokeswoman for Mayor Betsy Price.
Rapier said very few requests for exemptions have been received. There is a potential for exemptions, “but those would be few and far between,” she said. Any exceptions would have to include masks and social distancing.
In Arlington, the fire marshal oversees the approval process for these requests. Once someone submits a request, it is reviewed by the fire chief, public health authority and mayor, said Susan Schrock, a spokeswoman for the city.
Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley said his office has created a form that must be submitted 48 hours in advance of the proposed event. The form asks about the event, its time, location and how many people are expected to attend. It also asks what safety precautions will be taken to try to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
All 63 residents at Fort Worth-area nursing home transferred amid COVID-19 outbreak
Every resident of a Lake Worth long-term care facility was moved out Wednesday and taken elsewhere.
The Texas Health and Human Services Commission asked MedStar to relocate 63 people from Lake Worth Nursing Home, said Matt Zavadsky, the ambulance service’s spokesman. About 30 residents went to one facility and the remainder were transferred to others in Tarrant County, he said.
MedStar was told that about 25, or about 40%, of the residents were positive for the novel coronavirus. The ambulance service treated all of the residents as if they have COVID-19 because it was not certain.
It was not clear why the residents were moved from the facility in the 4200 block of Wells Drive. A HHSC representative did not respond Wednesday to questions.
The effort began with an assessment of the residents Tuesday afternoon. MedStar determined that none of the residents needed to go to a hospital, Zavadsky said. On Wednesday morning, HHSC asked MedStar to relocate the residents and that was underway Wednesday night and may continue Thursday.
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.
North Texas colleges say they’ll accommodate foreign students amid new ICE rule
Iara Roberto has been pursuing her bachelor’s degree in the U.S. for the past four years.
She’s an international student from Argentina at the University of Texas at Arlington, but the U.S. has been her second home ever since.
Now, she’s afraid of being deported.
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced that if a university is only offering online courses, its international students will have to transfer to another university that offers in-person classes or face deportation.
“We didn’t do anything wrong,” Roberto said. “So if we followed all your rules, why is this happening?”
Before the pandemic, foreigners in the U.S. on a F-1 or M-1 visa were only allowed to take a maximum of one online course per semester, but when COVID-19 hit, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Student and Exchange Visitors Program (SEVP) allowed those students to go all-online in the spring.
For international students to be in the U.S. this fall, their university will have to certify to SEVP that its “program is not entirely online, that the student is not taking an entirely online course load for the fall 2020 semester, and that the student is taking the minimum number of online classes required to make normal progress in their degree program.”
Texas reports 9,979 more COVID-19 cases and a new single-day record 98 deaths
On Wednesday, Texas set a new single-day record for COVID-19 deaths and hospitalizations and had its second-highest single-day total of new cases.
The Lone Star state reported 9,979 new cases and 98 deaths, an increase from Tuesday’s single-day high of 60 deaths, according to Texas Department of State Health Services data. The most single-day cases the state has had is 10,028, which also was reported Tuesday.
Hospitalizations went up to 9,610 Wednesday, and COVID-19 patients occupied 17% of all available beds, according to the state’s data. On Tuesday, the previous state all-time high in hospitalizations was reported with 9,286 coronavirus patients. Experts have attributed the surge in hospitalizations in part to gatherings and holiday weekends, such as Memorial Day.
Gov. Greg Abbott said Wednesday’s single-day high of COVID-19 fatalities was “horrible news.”
“One death is one death too many. But 98 obviously is way too many,” Gov. Greg Abbott told KXAN-TV in Austin Wednesday night. “But when you look at the number of people who have been hospitalized over just the past couple of weeks, you can see that there may be more fatalities coming. What we need to do, is we need to take action now.”
Tarrant County hospital capacity
Hospital capacity by available beds and ventilators for Tarrant County. Data provided by Tarrant County Public Health.
Tarrant County reports 595 new coronavirus cases, 6 more deaths
Tarrant County continued its recent spike in coronavirus cases on Wednesday with the addition of 595 more cases and six more deaths.
The county has now passed 16,000 coronavirus cases — there have been 16,180 to be exact — and reached 254 deaths, according to data from the county public health department. At least 7,018 people have recovered.
Officials reported a record 757 new cases on Tuesday, following a holiday weekend in which there were a reported 820 cases over the course of three days.
The six most recent people to have died from the coronavirus all had underlying conditions. The deceased included:
- Two men in their 60s and a woman in her 90s from Fort Worth.
- A man in his 60s from Grand Prairie.
- A man in his 80s from Arlington.
- A man in his 50s with an unknown address.
Data from the health department indicates more people have died from the coronavirus in Fort Worth than any other Tarrant County city — 139. In Arlington, 40 people have died, the second highest total.
There are 635 hospital beds occupied by known COVID-19 patients in Tarrant County and 1,687 available beds, according to health department data. There also 432 available ventilators.
For 6th consecutive day, Dallas County reports more than 1,000 new coronavirus cases
Sixteen novel coronavirus deaths and 1,029 new cases were reported Wednesday by public health authorities in Dallas County.
It was the sixth consecutive day that the Dallas County Health and Human Services department reported at least 1,000 new COVID-19 cases.
The deaths were of a woman in her 20s, two people in their 40s, three people in their 50s, three people in their 60s, four people in their 70s and three people in their 80s, DCHHS said.
“This an extremely critical time in our battle against COVID-19,” Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins wrote in a statement. “We expect to see more cases in the coming days and how high this surge goes is dependent on each of us doing our part.”
Wednesday’s additions bring Dallas County’s total case count to 29,160, including 426 deaths.
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.
Another Fort Worth restaurant closes, and sues Greg Abbott over bar shutdown
Stirr Restaurant, a Crockett Row anchor known for its balcony patio overlooking University Drive, has closed permanently, according to messages left for customers who had made reservations.
Stirr had closed last week and removed glassware and liquor after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott ordered the shutdown of all restaurants and bars where alcohol is more than 51% of sales.
Stirr Dallas and eight other bars filed a request for a temporary restraining order Tuesday in a Dallas district court, claiming that the governor’s orders closing bars and certain other businesses have been “inconsistent, arbitrary and scientifically unfounded,” and that a Texas Supreme Court ruling in Dallas salon owner Shelley Luther’s case establishes that such orders “may not survive judicial scrutiny.”
Stirr, a Deep Ellum restaurant, opened its Fort Worth location in October. It is the 12th Dallas transplant to close in the West Seventh Street area, including recent closure Deep Ellum Brewing and past departures by AF+B, Bailey’s Prime Plus. El Bolero, Hacienda San Miguel, Kin Kin Urban Thai, Knife Burger, Patrizio’s, Terra Mediterranean Grill, Tillman’s Roadhouse and Tortaco.
Stirr’s location at 3028 Crockett St. faced the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth and had a parking garage next door, giving it better access than other Crockett Row tenants. It replaced a location of Arizona-based Kona Grill.
Stirr drew customers to the upstairs deck for Sunday brunch, but has struggled in the coronavirus recession along with the rest of Crockett Row.
Texas Republican in-person state convention canceled Wednesday by Houston officials
Texas Republicans will not get to have their in-person state convention in Houston next week.
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner announced that officials with Houston First Corp., which operates the convention center, sent a letter to the State Republican Executive Committee canceling the gathering, the Texas Tribune reported. It was expected to draw about 6,000 attendees.
“This convention is not moving forward and it’s because of the public health risk that it poses,” Turner later said during a press conference.
Republican delegates last week voted meet in person July 16-18 at the George R. Brown Convention Center despite the rise in coronavirus cases in Texas and Houston, which has been a hot spot for COVID-19.
Turner, a Democrat, had called on the Republican Party of Texas to cancel the event for safety reasons.
Texas GOP party leaders said late Wednesday that they were studying their legal options and vowed to hold their convention, even if it means they do it online.
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.
Joey Gallo’s negative COVID-19 tests seem hopeful, but MLB can’t make exceptions
Fifty-six of the 58 players on the Texas Rangers’ roster for summer camp have been cleared to participate after testing negative for COVID-19 in the pre-camp screening process.
One of the final stragglers, though for reasons unknown, was Ronald Guzman, who was in the lineup Wednesday in a simulated game at Globe Life Field.
The problem is that one of the two players who tested positive for COVID-19 is Joey Gallo, the Rangers’ best player. Left-handed reliever Brett Martin is the other player.
Complicating the Gallo situation is that he is asymptomatic, feels great, and, oh, by the way, has tested negative twice in private testing outside of the 2020 MLB operations manual.
MLB’s system uses saliva tests, which produced two Gallo positives, and it is that system that must produce two negatives before he can return. Adding to the frustration is that the private tests that produced the negatives were conducted with nasal swabbing, a procedure that MLB does not use.
UIL updates summer workout guidelines that includes required masks, locker room access
The University Interscholastic League updated its guidelines for when schools return to their strength and conditioning and sport-specific workouts on Monday, July 13.
It includes mandatory face coverings, specifically upon entering and exiting, and for anyone not actively exercising, and locker room access.
High schools were on a three-month layoff from the coronavirus shutdown, but the UIL began workouts on June 8. It recommended schools to take a break from July 3-12 in anticipation of potential social gatherings during the Fouth of July holiday weekend.
During the weekend, Gov. Greg Abbott ordered the state to wear masks while in public to help limit the spread of COVID-19.
“This includes all 2020 summer activities and in-season activities for the 2020-2021 school year. As the public health situation changes, and/or if subsequent executive orders are issued by Governor Greg Abbott, these guidelines may be further modified,” the UIL said.
Fort Worth’s graduation celebrations a success after plans changed due to coronavirus
Thousands of graduates took part in one last event as the Fort Worth Independent School District held graduation commencement celebrations at Farrington Field and Clark Stadium.
The district faced backlash in May after moving original plans to a virtual graduation on June 20 over concerns of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Following the changes, superintendent Kent P. Scribner met with senior class presidents during an online conference call, where an in-person graduation celebration was agreed upon.
Arlington Heights High School was one of the first at Farrington Field on June 22.
“It was really nice to see almost everyone again,” said graduate Jalee McDonald. “I thought what we had was nice given the circumstances.”
Schools across the state altered graduation plans because of COVID-19.