Dallas County COVID cases trend up slightly; Judge warns Gov. Abbott about crowded bars
Dallas County reported nine coronavirus deaths and 376 cases on Wednesday.
Of Wednesday’s cases, 168 are previously unreported from earlier in the pandemic, including 58 from earlier in September, 91 from August, and 19 from July.
Dallas County has confirmed 74,476 COVID-19 cases, including 957 deaths. The county does not report recoveries.
Of the nine deaths reported Wednesday, only one had no underlying health conditions.
The deaths include a Mesquite woman in her 40s, a Dallas man in his 50s, two Dallas men in their 60s, a Dallas man and woman in their 70s, a Dallas woman in her 70s who was a resident of a long-term care facility, a Mesquite man in his 70s who was a resident of a long-term care facility, and a Richardson man in his 80s.
Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said preliminary tests on recent COVID-19 cases show the recent downward trend in new cases has stopped and “may be beginning to trend upward slightly.”
“Therefore, it’s imperative that we all make good decisions. Please continue to wear your mask at all times when around people outside your home and maintain six feet distance,” Jenkins said in a release and on social media. “Remember, it’s not one or the other, it’s both.”
Jenkins also called for Gov. Greg Abbott to not loosen restrictions on bars and “to close any loopholes that allowing indoor gatherings at bars until the numbers are lower.”
“We know that in every state that has left their bars open or reopened bars, they have seen a big spike in #COVID19 cases that increases infection and hurts other businesses and schools,” Jenkins said. “The [Dallas County] Public Health Committee, Dr. [Chung-En] Huang and I strongly urge residents to avoid bars at this time.”
Jenkins warned residents that a spike in cases could cause a much longer pandemic.
“If we all do our part, we have a good chance to get to a better place this fall but it is very easy to let our guard down and have the numbers jump in a short time,” he said. “History has shown us that it takes months to get the numbers back down again.”
