Dallas County judge calls for shutdown of youth sports as COVID-19 numbers worsen
Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins took to Twitter on Tuesday and called on Gov. Greg Abbott to make masks a state requirement, reduce indoor crowds and shut down a number of venues/activities, including group youth sports as COVID-19 cases continue to worsen.
Dallas County reported a single-day high 601 new coronavirus cases and a record 20 deaths Tuesday, increasing its total to 21,338 cases and 373 deaths.
Tuesday marked the fifth consecutive day the county reported a record for new COVID-19 cases.
Dallas and Tarrant counties have forced businesses to require masks to help limit the spread of the coronavirus.
Other closures that Jenkins’ group of doctors recommended included bowling alleys, arcades, concerts, movie theaters, gyms, public pools and day camps.
A number of club sports featuring Dallas-Fort Worth players/teams have returned since the end of May with early tournaments played in Oklahoma and Louisiana, where COVID-19 cases are lower than Texas.
Texas parks opened May 31 and games in DFW started back up on June 15.
Such prep-level softball tournaments in the Metroplex included the Triple Crown Texas State Championships, the Texas Glory Shootout and the DFW FastPitch All-Star game with a number more scheduled for July.
Other prep-level events that have returned: club volleyball and soccer practices, baseball, beach volleyball and such AAU basketball tournaments in Frisco and Mansfield.
High school summer strength/conditioning and skill workouts also started on June 8. More than 200 schools in Texas have shut down or delayed its workout program at some point within the month, including DFW teams Burleson, Arlington Martin, Southlake Carroll, Frisco Lebanon Trail, Braswell and Plano.
Tarrant County reported a single-day high 605 new coronavirus cases and three more deaths on Tuesday, increasing its total to 12,344 cases, 228 deaths and at least 5,220 recoveries.
The previous daily record was 521 cases a week ago.
