Coronavirus live updates July 20: 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.
Tarrant County reports 422 new coronavirus cases, 5 deaths Sunday
Tarrant County reported five deaths and 422 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 Sunday, bringing the totals to 298 deaths and 21,617 confirmed cases since the pandemic began.
The county has not yet released any information on those who died Sunday from the virus.
At least 10,382 patients have recovered, though the county website tracking COVID-19 statistics says hospitals and patients are not required to report recoveries. Deaths and recoveries are counted in the total number of confirmed cases.
The highest number of confirmed cases have been in Fort Worth and Arlington, with 10,007 and 4,225, respectively. Fort Worth has reported 163 deaths while Arlington confirmed 48.
The next highest number of infections came from Mansfield with 498 total confirmed cases. Keller had the third highest number of coronavirus deaths at 17.
The county has 665 hospital beds occupied by confirmed coronavirus patients, a decrease of 29 since last Sunday, and 381 ventilators available, an increase of 167. The county reports 1,688 hospital beds currently unoccupied.
Dallas County reports more than 1,000 new coronavirus cases, 2 deaths Sunday
Dallas County reported 1,044 additional cases of coronavirus and two deaths on Sunday.
As of Sunday, the county has had 41,266 cases and 525 deaths, Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said in a news release.
The two people who died were a man in his 50s who lived in Irving and a man in his 70s from Grand Prairie.
A new COVID-19 testing center will open Monday at Mountain View College at 4849 West Illinois Ave., Jenkins tweeted. The center will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday and from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. There are no residency requirements to be tested.
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.
Woman dies from coronavirus at women’s federal prison in Fort Worth as cases swell
A woman died from COVID-19 on Wednesday at the women’s federal prison in Fort Worth, according to the Bureau of Prisons.
Sandra Kincaid, 69, is the second woman to die at FMC Carswell prison from coronavirus. She tested positive for the virus on July 6 and was hospitalized on July 12 with shortness or breath, fatigue and weakness, the BOP said in a press release.
On July 14, she was put on a ventilator, and she died the next day.
Like most of the women at Carswell — which is the only federal medical prison for women in the country — Kincaid had medical conditions. The BOP did not specify what conditions she had, but described them as “long-term” and “pre-existing.”
As of Sunday, 200 women had tested positive for coronavirus at Carswell. In three weeks, the cases have exploded from three to 200. Out of the 1,357 inmates, 918 have been tested; 302 women are waiting for their test results, according to BOP data.
Kincaid was serving a 470-month sentence out of Tennessee for conspiracy to sell drugs and conspiracy to commit money laundering. She had been in custody at Carswell since July 2018.
Tarrant County program to offer free saliva testing for COVID-19 at middle school
Registration continued on Monday for Tarrant County residents who want to receive a free COVID-19 saliva test.
The pilot program, which is being launched through a partnership with Tarrant County and the City of Fort Worth, starts Tuesday at J.P. Elder Middle School, 709 N.W. 21st St.
County and city officials said the testing site’s location in north Fort Worth addresses the need for more COVID-19 testing in the county’s Hispanic communities and specifically in the 76106 ZIP code. Bilingual personnel will be available on-site to assist with language barriers.
“COVID-19 incidence rates are rapidly increasing county-wide. Fort Worth residents are looking to their elected officials to provide resources to combat the spread of this pandemic,” said City Council member Carlos Flores, District 2, in a weekend news release. “Launching saliva-based pilot testing in District 2 provides residents in some of the hardest impacted zip codes better access to accurate testing with quick results reporting. My appreciation to our continued partnership with Tarrant County and our healthcare agencies.”
The tests will be administered by appointment only beginning at 8 a.m. on Tuesday at the school. Initially, tests will be limited to 300 per day. Public health officials may increase that number after assessing the program.
Online registration for the testing is at covidtesting.tarrantcounty.com. Residents who do not have access to a computer may call 817-248-6299 to schedule their appointment.
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.
Is it safe to dine out? It’s safer outside. Tips for safe dining.
Public health expert Erin Carlson has exactly the list we needed.
Carlson is a foodie. She loves Fort Worth restaurants.
But she also oversees the UT Arlington School of Public Health.
She loves Ashim’s Hibachi Grill downtown, and Ethiopian food at Samson’s Market Bistro, and Tokyokonomiyaki at Tokyo Cafe.
But not to dine inside, not right now.
“I love restaurants, and I think we all miss going out and trying new experiences,” she said.
But that means caution.
For starters, everyone must always stay 6 feet away from anyone else. That’s the basic rule for restaurants and all public places, regardless of seating capacity.
Here are more tips from a public health expert who also loves food and dining out.
Students should return to campus if conditions are safe, Cook Children’s doctor says
Students should return to campuses this fall if possible so long as schools can create and enforce safe COVID-19 prevention practices, a doctor at Cook Children’s Medical Center said.
Dr. Marc Mazade, who along with a team of healthcare leaders at the hospital created a page of tips for school districts trying to plan for the next academic year, said the best learning outcomes for most children will be in an actual classroom. For that to be possible, though, he said districts need to create strict guidelines to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
He suggests things like serving lunch to students in homerooms, requiring masks, teaching younger children to wash their hands and using appropriate hand sanitizer frequently, regularly cleaning all shared equipment after each use and keeping sick kids home.
In cases where a student comes to school and presents symptoms of COVID-19, they should be separated from students and staff until a parent can pick them up.
“I think that the education is better for the kids in the school building. At least our experience over the last year, starting in March with no preparation time, we lost a lot of students who were not able to connect with the school,” Mazade said.
Many districts across Tarrant County are planning to offer parents an option between online and in-person education. Almost half of Fort Worth parents want their children to continue online schooling, but 57% want their students to be in classrooms, according to Fort Worth school district spokesman Clint Bond.
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.
Fort Worth’s Trinity River concert series in legal limbo after Saturday’s show scrapped
The future of the summer’s remaining series of Trinity River concerts may rest with a legal opinion from the Texas Attorney General’s Office.
During the Panther Island Pavilion events, known as Rockin’ the River, people float on tubes and listen to live music. The concert planned for Saturday did not occur as a legal quarrel between the Tarrant Regional Water District, which operates the events, and a state government crowd restriction proclamation continues unresolved.
In past years, the concert series has drawn hundreds of people for each show. The water district would limit people to a quarter of the area’s capacity if the events are permitted to go on this year, said Matt Oliver, the district’s spokesman. Four concerts remain scheduled on Saturdays through Aug. 15.
Gov. Greg Abbott on July 2 amended a disaster proclamation to prohibit most outdoor gatherings of more than 10 people. The limit was part of an effort to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus, Abbott said.
The water district argues that the proclamation does not apply to gatherings on property owned and operated by a public agency other than the city. The concerts should be exempt because the pavilion and river are such a space, Oliver said. The district has asked the Texas Attorney General’s Office to consider that view.
How DFW became the world’s busiest airport and a rare bright spot in the COVID crisis
At a time when air travel is mired in uncertainty, DFW Airport is emerging as one of the industry’s safest bets.
DFW Airport is now considered the world’s busiest airport, with more takeoffs and landings in May than aviation hubs in Atlanta, London or anywhere else. DFW is expected to keep that prestigious spot at least through July, based on airlines’ schedules.
DFW had 27,230 flight takeoffs and landings in May, 16% more than No. 2 Chicago O’Hare Airport, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Those operations included commercial and general aviation, military flights and other aircraft movements.
Holding the No. 1 spot is likely only a temporary title, airport officials said, and not overly meaningful given how the crisis has turned some airports into near-ghost towns.
“We all were happy that we’re No. 1 for a month, but we’re still down about 50%,” said Chris Poinsatte, DFW chief financial officer. “We’re doing relatively better than others, but that’s nothing to be bragging about.”
NASCAR fans brave heat, follow safety protocols in return to Texas Motor Speedway
For fan experience, you couldn’t do much better than Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday afternoon.
Despite heat approaching 100 degrees during NASCAR’s O’Reilly Auto Parts 500, about 20,000 hearty fans took advantage of short concession and merchandise lines and plenty of space to social distance during the first major sporting event with fans in Texas since the coronavirus pandemic shut down much of the country in March.
Racing fans on hand were not deterred by face masks, which most were wearing unless sitting alone or with family in the grandstands. Texas Motor Speedway can hold more than 181,000 spectators, including about 135,000 in the stands and suites, so there was plenty of room for fans to spread out along the straight away near the finish line. The race originally scheduled for March 29, but was postponed because of the pandemic.
“I appreciate the fans that are here today watching in the grandstands and we’re glad to have them,” said driver Brad Keselowski on the television broadcast during a red flag stoppage. Keselowski was leading at the time of the 10-car wreck on lap 219, but would go on to finish ninth.
Austin Dillon won his first race of the year, beating Richard Childress Racing teammate Tyler Reddick by .149 of a second.