Coronavirus: Tarrant County Discusses Gov. Abbott Lifting Stay At Home Orders, 5 More COVID-19 Deaths
TARRANT COUNTY (CBSDFW.COM) - Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley talked to commissioners court Tuesday about Gov. Greg Abbott's orders allowing restaurants, malls, movie theaters, libraries, museums, retail stores and more reopen — at 25% capacity —on Thursday.
This despite health officials reporting five more deaths and 71 new cases of COVID-19 in the county.
Also of note, Tarrant County Public Health Director Vinny Taneja said some virus spread indicators over the last few weeks show a disturbing "change in the wrong direction."
"If you're going to be out, wear a mask. It isn't a requirement, but is highly advised," said Taneda.
For examples, the trend for confirmed cases is "flat," while both the number of people with COVID-like symptoms being hospitalized is "trending up."
One county judge has publicly stated he expected stay home orders to extend into mid-May.
TarCo commissioner Roy Charles Brooks, who taken part in meetings over the phone, spoke out early regarding case numbers in jails and long term care facilities.
"This is the surge we've both been expecting and dreading. Those people have limited to no choice about being there. These are places where social distancing is difficult to achieve and a perfect environment for COVID-19 to thrive," he said.
Correctional facilities across our country are amplifiers of infectious diseases such as COVID-19 because the conditions that can keep diseases from spreading — such as social distancing and continuous personal care are next to impossible.
Abbott's plan comes as conservatives in Texas and President Donald Trump have called on states to get the country back to work. But his plan is more cautious than some states and could be rolled back with a spike in new cases.
Seven coronavirus models show US coronavirus deaths will rise in coming weeks, but how sharply depends on how much "contact reduction" Americans practice, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
The models estimate the numbers of cases and deaths on the state and national levels, and one model from the University of Texas at Austin makes metro-area projections.
According to Texas Health and Human Services, there are currently about 25,297 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Texas and 663 deaths as of Tuesday morning. There are also around 11,170 recoveries.
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