Slowing The Spread: Playgrounds, Golf Courses, Tennis Centers Close In City Of Dallas
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson announced that in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, all city playgrounds, golf courses and tennis centers will close tonight.
In a tweet, Johnson said the closures are to help "slow the spread" of the potentially deadly virus.
However, open-air park space and trails will remain available for public use.
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Dallas County reported nine additional positive cases of the virus on Tuesday, bringing the total to 28.
Officials said the nine new cases are: Two women in their 20s, one man in his 30s, one man and one woman in their 40s, two women in their 50s, one man in his 60s and one woman in her 70s. Eight of these patients are Dallas residents while one is from Irving.
According to officials, five of those patients are in the hospital, with three in critical care units. The four others are self-isolated at their homes.
Officials said five of the new cases are "likely from local community spread" because there is currently no known source or travel risk factor. Three other patients are close contacts of another confirmed case of COVID-19, officials said. One of the cases is related to international travel.
"As we have warned you, the testing data is well behind the situation on the ground. Today, we have five new cases of likely community spread. It is imperative that you exercise sound decision making in your personal responsibility decisions," Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said. "We must replace selfishness with sacrifice if we are to protect our seniors and most vulnerable amongst us."
On Monday Johnson announced the closure of dine-in areas of restaurants, bars, night clubs and more as a way to prevent the potential spread of coronavirus, especially due to the evidence of community spread.
"As of right now, Dallas has the most aggressive rules for minimizing and slowing the spread of COVID-19," Johnson said Monday. "While most cases are mild, what we have seen worldwide is that it can be more lethal than the flu."