Coronavirus live updates Aug. 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.
Billy Bob’s Texas applies for new permit to reopen as a restaurant amid pandemic
Billy Bob’s Texas, the iconic honky-tonk in the Stockyards district, is expecting to open sometime in mid-August amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The venue already has a schedule of concerts lined up once it opens.
Billy Bob’s Texas is planning to reopen by applying for a permit through the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) to operate as a restaurant instead of a bar.
In late June, Gov. Greg Abbott shuttered all bars statewide via executive order after a flare-up of COVID-19 cases and an increase in positive rates. The governor’s order allowed restaurants to remain open but only at 50% capacity.
Before closing, the venue already sold food through its Honky-Tonk Kitchen that served food during lunch and dinner.
The bar’s general manager is confident that the permit application will be approved by state officials.
How 3 women are helping Fort Worth seniors hit hard by coronavirus pandemic
Imagine being stuck at home for months — not able to see family or even go to the grocery store. That’s been the reality for some senior citizens because of COVID-19.
Hedy Collins knows a few of them.
She is the director of the senior citizens program at Jewish Family Services in Fort Worth and said the seniors who haven’t left their homes have been “miserable” for months. Even seniors who still do their errands worry, Collins said.
But despite the fear caused by the pandemic, the seniors at Jewish Family Services can count on three women who keep the program going: Collins, Marge Van Giesen and Nurjanti “Miau Lin” Tjahjadi.
Carole Rogers, the director of Jewish Family Services, calls them “The Terrific Trio” because she said they work so well together to make the program possible. She nominated them for recognition in the Star-Telegram Hometown Heroes series.
“They all have the biggest hearts, all three of them,” Rogers said.
Tarrant County reports record 1,673 new COVID cases as probable cases are added to county’s data
Tarrant County reported a single-day high 1,673 new coronavirus cases and eight more deaths on Wednesday.
The record for new COVID-19 cases is nearly twice the previous high of 871 on July 22.
Explaining Wednesday’s record, a county spokesperson said in an email, “The majority of that is adjusting to the new DSHS requirement to include probable cases in our totals, so we do expect to be back to our normal reporting levels tomorrow. This is not a spike.”
On Wednesday the county’s coronavirus data website was updated to show probable cases as well as confirmed cases. Probable cases can include those where a test detects a specific antibody or antigen, according to a notice on the website.
Among the latest deaths were two women in their 40s from Sansom Park and Fort Worth.
The other deaths include a woman in her 70s and a man and a woman in their 80s from Arlington, a Southlake woman in her 80s, a Haltom City man in his 50s, and a Fort Worth woman in her 60s. All eight had underlying health conditions, according to officials.
Tarrant County has confirmed a total of 31,835 coronavirus cases, including 404 deaths and an estimated 18,886 recoveries. Of the total cases, 30,227 are confirmed and 1,608 are probable, according to the website. The probable cases were all added this week as part of a change in the state’s data reporting procedures, the website shows.
Tarrant County has reported more than 800 new daily cases six times, including 805 on Tuesday. The other four were in July, including 836 on 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.
New COVID cases drop in Dallas County but latest deaths include ‘healthy’ man in 40s
Dallas County reported 508 new coronavirus cases and four deaths on Wednesday.
The four latest COVID-19 deaths included two Dallas men in their 40s, including one with no underlying health issues. The others were a Dallas woman in her 60s and an Irving man in his 90s who was a resident of a long-term care facility. The county reported 31 deaths on Tuesday, the second-most during the pandemic.
Dallas County has confirmed a total of 52,639 COVID-19 cases, including 726 deaths. County officials do not report recoveries.
The county has averaged 533 new cases over the first five days of August, down from the previous two weeks when it averaged 654 and 827 cases a day.
More than 2,340 children under 18 have contracted COVID-19 in the county since July 1. Since July 1, 61 children have been hospitalized with the virus. Almost 70% of all patients who have been hospitalized with the coronavirus have been under 65.
“Today’s four deaths include an otherwise healthy man in his 40s who succumbed to #COVID19,” Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said in a news release. “This is a somber reminder that although #COVID19 statistically has a worse course on high-risk individuals, it can cause serious damage and even death to otherwise healthy individuals.”
Jenkins urged residents to continue to wear a mask when outside the home. “Please take your mask with you whenever you leave your home and have a mask available in your car and on your person,” he said.
Eagle Mountain-Saginaw school district is facing backlash over its reopening plans
People who are worried about reopening plans in the Eagle Mountain-Saginaw school district launched a petition calling for officials to delay in-person learning until Sept. 28 and allow virtual instruction for the first four weeks of school.
School is scheduled to start Aug. 20 with in-person and online learning options. The petition is being organized through the change.org website.
The school board will hold a specially-called meeting at 8 p.m. Thursday at 1200 N. Old Decatur Road.
The meeting will be live-streamed to maintain social distancing. Those who want to comment about the reopening plan will have to sign up to speak and wait outside the meeting room until they are called to speak. Face coverings are required at all times.
Christopher Isaacs, a teacher in the school district who submitted the petition, could not be reached for comment, but there were over 500 signatures as of Wednesday afternoon calling for the school district to rethink its Reconnect 2020 plan.
Megan Overman, a spokeswoman for the school district, said in an email to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that officials have gotten varying suggestions and opinions on how schools should open.
Carroll school district ready for students, but officials will monitor COVID-19
Students in the Carroll school district will begin their classes on Aug. 24, with options to learn in person or online.
Tuesday was the deadline for parents to request that their children take their classes online. If parents change their minds on whether their children should learn in person or virtually, they have until 4:30 p.m. Aug. 10 to notify their school principal in writing.
Parents can also request changes two weeks before the nine-week grading period, according to the district’s website.
Superintendent David Faltys told trustees during Monday’s school board meeting that the district is prepared for school to start, but that he is also monitoring the latest information regarding the coronavirus pandemic.
“We will continue to monitor county numbers and as much as possible our local numbers…” he said.
“If we start to see any changes, we will let you know,” Faltys said.
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.
COVID cases, harassment complaints preceded Fort Worth restaurant closing, workers say
It took 24 hours for one of the few successful Fort Worth restaurants to open during the coronavirus pandemic to come to its tumultuous ending, according to former employees.
Kristi Wilson, the manager of the Southside Rambler, was fired on July 20 after she had spoken up for weeks about needed safety measures with multiple workers sent home with the virus, she told the Star-Telegram. Within two hours, she said, all but two of roughly 30 workers quit, some of them protesting outside of their former workplace on West Magnolia Avenue. The doors were shuttered by the next morning, the gate surrounding the gravel patio locked.
Though the unceremonious end of the trendy spot came about quickly, Wilson, 41, and other employees allege there had been internal problems since its mid-May launch that went beyond coronavirus concerns. They believe those problems, coupled with Wilson’s firing, sparked the protest and subsequent closing.
Three staff members tested positive for COVID-19, all of whom had begun self-isolating as soon as they started experiencing symptoms, Wilson said. But she says she was told by management to not speak about the cases, which she found “deeply disturbing.” Her request to bring in a company to deep-clean the grounds — a routine practice at other eateries — was denied, she said.
On top of this, she said there was one employee, whom she didn’t want to name publicly, who had made sexually explicit and inappropriate remarks in front of several employees. Multiple people who spoke with the Star-Telegram said they heard these conversations.
The person at the center of the allegations didn’t respond to a Facebook message requesting comment.
Kevin von Ehrenfried, who co-owned the Southside Rambler with his wife, Julia Cary von Ehrenfried, didn’t respond to multiple calls and voicemails over the past week. Neither Kevin nor Julia responded to a message left with a staff member at The Tipsy Oak, the restaurant they own in Arlington.
Some investors in the Southside Rambler had pulled out in recent weeks over problems with the owners, even though the business was pulling in more than $50,000 a week by capitalizing on its outdoor patio, according to Wilson. There were four or five days left on the restaurant’s contract, she said, when one of the partners fired her inside of his car.
“I became a problem to everybody in trying to fix the problem — that’s probably why they wanted to terminate me,” Wilson said. “I do what’s right, I do what’s best ... and that’s how everybody should live. And that was violated.”
Fort Worth Symphony to resume live performances for upcoming season amid COVID-19
Live concerts by the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra (FWSO) and guest performers will be back for this upcoming season, but with a few changes due to COVID-19.
Audience capacity will be significantly reduced to allow for social distancing and the Symphony’s Pop Up Series will now take place at Will Rogers Memorial Auditorium.
There will be also a fourth Saturday matinee performance added to the Symphonic Series, which will remain at Bass Performance Hall.
FWSO officials told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram in a statement that Bass Hall has the capacity to seat 2,060 patrons, but that number is now being scaled down to 500 for the new season. For the Will Rogers Memorial Auditorium, its usual capacity of 2,856 patrons is going down to roughly 800. There will be a maximum capacity of 1,417 people that can be in the Will Rogers building, but a spokesperson for FWSO says that it will operate significantly below that.
All audience members will be required to wear a mask throughout the entirety of each concert and will not be able to enter any venue without one.
FWSO explained that there won’t be any intermissions or concessions, the concert programs will be distributed to patrons electronically, there will be hand sanitizing stations at every venue and the seating arrangements for every performance will allow for social distancing.
Hood County reports 2 more COVID deaths, slew of new cases after state alters data
Hood County health officials reported 158 new coronavirus cases and two more deaths in a Tuesday night release that covered the previous week.
Hood County has confirmed 557 total COVID-19 cases, including 10 deaths. The county has 82 active patients either hospitalized or in isolation. The test rate in the county is 9.3% positive.
hospitalized. Eight of the 10 deaths were directly complicated or caused by COVID-19. The other two were COVID-positive at the time of death. Eight of the 10 were 60 or older.
Of the 158 new cases from a week ago, 109 were added by Texas Department of State Health Services, including many that were self-reported through the Texas Health Trace website.
The county reports that 465 residents have recovered. Three patients are currently hospitalized. There have been 86 cases confirmed in residents of surrounding counties and those cases have been reported to DSHS and the local health authorities.
“I believe that it is important to note that 83% of the COVID cases detected in Hood County have now recovered, and our local hospital and clinics have proven up to the task of managing the impact of COVID-19 in our community,” Hood County Public Health Authority Dr. David Blocker said in an email. “Recent local deaths reflect the massive increase in active cases in the two previous weeks (up to 150 active cases on July 23), now trending back downward here and in surrounding communities.”
This story was originally published August 6, 2020 at 10:35 AM.