Dallas County Breaks Daily Record Of New COVID-19 Cases Again With 561 On Saturday
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Dallas County on Saturday reported 561 new COVID-19 cases, which is a record-high for a single day in the county and in North Texas.
The county also broke its daily record for the second day in a row after reporting 496 on Friday. Its total case count is now at 19,595 as areas of North Texas and the state see surges in new cases.
Tarrant County previously reported the single-day record of new cases earlier this week with 517.
Seven more deaths were also reported in Dallas County on Saturday, bringing that total to 351. The ages were all over 40 years and all seven had been hospitalized, according to officials. Five out of the seven had underlying health conditions.
Officials have been concerned about the number of hospitalizations that continues to increase. Judge Clay Jenkins said earlier this week that the number of hospitalizations in Dallas County jumped by 88% since June 1.
Dallas County issued its own ordinance last week that requires face masks inside businesses until at least August 4. However, Jenkins said Saturday he is calling for Gov. Greg Abbott to issue a statewide order.
"I am calling on the Governor to enact a statewide or at least regional masking law, reinstitute 'Safer at Home' for a period of 30 days, and close certain indoor businesses where masks cannot be worn 100 percent of the time," Jenkins said. "Further, in-restaurant dining should be discouraged."
On Friday, Gov. Greg Abbott issued an order that shut down bars for the second time during the pandemic. Restaurants were also ordered to go back to a 50% limited capacity, down from 75%.
Face mask requirements were also issued in Tarrant County and the cities of Denton and Red Oak (Ellis County) this week. McKinney Mayor George Fuller said officials will discuss an ordinance on Monday.