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LATEST DALLAS CORONAVIRUS NEWS

Dallas Cowboys Announce 'Safe Stadium' Policy For 2020 Season

The Dallas Cowboys have announced the club’s 'Safe Stadium Policy' for AT&T Stadium and the return of football during the 2020 NFL season.“These are challenging and unprecedented times for our country, our community, and our Cowboys fans at home in Texas and all around the world,” said Charlotte Jones, Dallas Cowboys Chief Brand Officer. “Amidst the difficulties brought on by COVID-19, our focus has been to safely bring football back to our community. We are deeply grateful for the patience, understanding, and support our fans have shown during these historic and turbulent times as we continue to prepare for a successful season.”There will be several important new changes with the fan experience at AT&T Stadium this season including:Limited Stadium Capacity Capacity at AT&T Stadium will be limited to start the 2020 season, in accordance with guidelines from the CDC, the State of Texas, local public safety and public health authorities. Fans are required to practice social distancing inside and outside of AT&T Stadium, including parking lots, entry queues and seating. Weather permitting, AT&T Stadium’s unique retractable roof and end zone door design gives the ability to maximize fresh air flow throughout the building, along with the capability of circulating 840,000 cubic feet per minute (CFM) of fresh air through its mechanical system.Mandatory Mask PolicyConsistent with NFL and local Public Safety and Health policy, all fans will be required to wear a mask when transiting from their personal or public transportation to AT&T Stadium including while in stadium parking lots. In addition, all fans and stadium employees will be required to wear a mask at all times, except when they are actively eating or drinking or if under ten years of age.SeatingTickets will be distributed in seat blocks known as “pods” to maintain distance between groups who are not known to one another. Fans are required to maintain pod integrity by only transferring tickets to family or friends within their trusted group. Each ticket holder should have their own mobile ticket on their device. Mobile-Only TicketingBeginning this season, all tickets at AT&T Stadium will be digital and available through fans’ mobile devices. Tickets purchased from the Dallas Cowboys will be available via the Dallas Cowboys or SeatGeek mobile app. In order to provide a contactless experience for fans, there will no longer be physical tickets.Cashless ExperienceBeginning this season, all food, beverage, parking and retail will become a cashless experience. Major credit and debit cards, as well as mobile pay will be accepted throughout AT&T Stadium.Frictionless Entry Fans will have frictionless entry to stadium parking lots and will go through a frictionless security scan using 60 socially distanced metal detectors to enter AT&T Stadium. TailgatingDesignated spaces for tailgating will be available in select AT&T Stadium lots. To promote physical distancing, at least one space between vehicles is required in the tailgating spots and parties will not be permitted to comingle.AT&T Stadium will continue to monitor guidelines and protocols from local public health officials and will enhance the Safe Stadium policy as needed.

August 13, 2020

The Latest COVID-19 Numbers For North Texas

Here are the latest COVID-19 numbers for North Texas.Tarrant County is reporting the most new cases with 405 in North Texas, along with seven new deaths. However, Tarrant County's 7-day average of new COVID-19 cases has dropped to its lowest point since July 5th.Dallas County reported 234 new cases and nine deaths. That's a decline in new cases for the third straight day.NEW: Dallas County Reports 234 Additional Positive 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Cases and 9 Deaths pic.twitter.com/mc26RvLtX2— Clay Jenkins (@JudgeClayJ) August 12, 2020 The trends that we’re seeing are good and they’re due to your smart and sacrificial decisions to wear masks around others outside your home one hundred percent of the time, maintain six foot distancing from people outside your home, use frequent hand washing and avoid unnecessary trips around other people and any activity where a mask cannot be worn by everyone one hundred percent of the time" said Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins.Collin County reported 269 cases, and no new deaths.Denton County reported only 92 cases and seven new deaths. That is a new high in daily deaths in Denton County.Statewide, Texas set a new daily record for deaths at 324, with 6,200 new cases. The positivity rate still stands around 24% according to state health officials.There are 7,028 people in the hospital in Texas for coronavirus. Of that, 1,229 are in North Texas hospitals.

August 13, 2020

Study Makes Link Between People And Pets Who Test Positive For COVID-19

Early results from a study out of Texas A&M show a connection between households with positive COVID cases in Texas and their pets carrying the virus. In further exploring the degree to which pets are infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, a team led by Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (CVMBS) associate professor of epidemiology Dr. Sarah Hamer is seeing evidence that pets living in “high-risk” households with people who have COVID-19 in Brazos County and the surrounding areas may also become infected with this virus. Brazos County includes Bryan-College Station and is home to Texas A&M University.“We’re one of a few veterinary research groups across the country that are conducting similar investigations to provide an enhanced understanding about SARS-CoV-2 infections in pets — asking questions such as, are pets being exposed? Becoming infected? Can they spread the virus to humans or other animals? Do they get sick?” Hamer said. “It’s really exciting that research teams are beginning to respond to the crisis in this way.”Since beginning their sampling of cats and dogs whose owners consented to their participation, the team has identified four asymptomatic pets, three cats and one dog from different households in Brazos County that have tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 while living in a household with a person who was diagnosed with COVID-19. Additional pets have confirmatory testing underway.“We've sampled a lot of pets. So this certainly isn't a common finding, but we have evidence now that these pets in high risk households can become infected,” said Hamer. “Our study can't really tell much about the directionality, but the assumption would be that the pets have been infected through their contact with an infected owner.”The study was not designed to test whether pets become infected from owners, or vice versa, Hamer said, but the findings indicate that pets can become infected in high-risk households and should be considered in the way households are managed as part of the public health response.Click here to learn more about the study.

August 13, 2020

Skepticism Surrounds Russian Coronavirus Vaccine Claim

Russia has approved a COVID-19 vaccine, which many say may not be safe or effective.The shot was tested on dozens of volunteers, according to reports. Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of Tropical Medicine with the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston is a vaccine expert. Hotez says the Russians seem to have not paid much attention to quality control and assurance, both of which are needed to ensure the vaccine can be made the same way every time. "The time it takes to show it works and is safe, which usually requires a 30,000 person clinical trial. What the Russians seemed to have done is they skipped over all those steps. You don't really know what this is" said Hotez.Hotez says vaccines take time. "The are couching this as a race and calling it a Sputnick achievement and it's a lie. It's not. They've done the easy part but they haven't done the hard part yet."Hotez warns, "not only are they going to be vaccinating Russians with an unproven vaccine, they're going to be using this in sort of a cold war style influence on African countries and Latin American countries who don't know any better about what they're getting into."He says coming up with a formula for a vaccine isn't necessarily the hardest part. There are several different models in progress and the Russian model is similar to some others.The World Health Organization says Russia should not stray from the usual methods of testing a vaccine for safety and effectiveness.

August 12, 2020

Fort Worth ISD Says Teachers, Staff Training For Safety Protocols

The superintendent of the Fort Worth Independent School District says teachers and other employees will be trained for updated safety protocols by the time the school year begins September 8. Fort Worth ISD will begin with only online education for at least the first four weeks. Only students with special education needs will be able to attend in person.Superintendent Kent Scribner and several school board members led an online town hall meeting Tuesday night for parents to ask questions."It's important to know the fall version of online learning for the first four weeks will certainly be extremely different than what took place in the spring," Scribner says. "You'll remember, and we all know, in the spring, we all pivoted within a week or two and made a system work that none of us expected."Scribner says he met with principals last week to talk about safety protocols."We have to respectfully hold each other accountable, wearing face coverings, social distancing, washing hands, keeping our environments clean and sanitized," he says.Teachers in their first or second year in Fort Worth ISD will have in person training the last full week of August. Scribner says second year teachers are included because their first year with the district was cut short. Returning teachers can get in-person support if they have questions about learning."It's going to be incumbent upon our teachers to really work in the first few days on connection," he says. "We all know students are less interested in content and more interested in connection. They will not engage in content unless there is a connection with the teacher."Scribner said he would like the rate of positive tests in Tarrant County to dip below ten percent before in-person learning resumes. Tuesday, he said the positivity rate in Tarrant County was between 11 and 12 percent. Statewide, the positivity rate for the previous seven days hit a record of 23.92% in the most recent report Monday.A separate town hall for teachers and employees in Fort Worth ISD is scheduled next week.

August 12, 2020

New Cases Of COVID-19 Down Across North Texas, Virus Related Deaths Up

Mixed news from North Texas and across the state concerning the coronavirus.Dallas County Health officials reported 298 new cases yesterday, a much lower number than in recent days. But it also reported 30 new deaths from the virus.NEW: Dallas County Reports 298 Additional Positive 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Cases and 30 Deaths (29 confirmed/1 probable) pic.twitter.com/RoBIpNoZuq— Clay Jenkins (@JudgeClayJ) August 11, 2020 Tarrant County reported 204 new cases and 5 deaths while 4 deaths were confirmed in Collin County and 226 new positive cases were confirmedDenton County reports 122 new cases and 4 deaths.Across the state, Texas reported a total of 220 deaths yesterday and 8,913 new cases, but it's the positivity rate that has medical experts concerned.The positivity rate in Texas is now approaching 24 percent, meaning an average of 1 in 5 coronavirus tests are coming back positive and that means the coronavirus is still spreading across Texas.

August 12, 2020

Governor Abbott Pushes For Rapid COVID Testing, Gives No Timeline For Reopening Bars

While providing a COVID update in Beaumont on Tuesday, Governor Abbott spoke of the state’s efforts to improve testing response times as the positivity rate for the virus hits an all-time high at nearly 24%.Abbott said he expects the turnaround time on COVID tests to improve in the near future due to two reasons. “One is because we are getting additional testing supplies that will allow us to provide rapid testing in nursing homes across the entire state,” said Abbott. “In addition to that, we are in the process of working with labs in the state of Texas…that will provide more robust, quicker turnaround of higher volume of tests.”When asked by reporters about his timeline for allowing bars, breweries and wineries to reopen, Abbott was not able to provide one, instead listing several benchmarks the state would need to hit first. “If we were able to get to a positivity rate of well below 10% and maintain that positivity rate and we were able to get to a situation where we were back in the May timeframe of low hospitalizations because of COVID-19 and sustain those rates for a prolonged period of time and if all operators of bars and restaurants and establishments were to follow the safety protocols that were put into place when from the very beginning that required patrons of bars to not stand up, not walk around, not converse without masks, not go to the bar itself but to remain seated at a table in small gatherings and be in a situation where they were avoiding transmitting COVID-19, that could lead to the reopening of those bars,” Abbott told reporters. He went on to say now is the time for Texans need to be vigilant in order to slow the spread of the virus.President Trump’s recently announced plan to team up with states to provide an additional $400 per week in unemployment benefits was also brought up. Governor Abbott wouldn’t say whether the program would become available to unemployed Texans. Abbott did say he spoke with Vice President Mike Pence and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin about the plan on Monday. “The administration continues to negotiate with the Democrats, both in the U S house, as well as the U S Senate on what the plan will look like,” said Abbott. “I have every reason to believe that when all the final deal is worked out, there will be a more robust deal that is struck between the administration and between Congress to make sure that unemployment benefits will be provided adequately.”

August 12, 2020

Lake Worth School Employee Tests Positive For Coronavirus

With classes resuming next week, an employee in the Lake Worth school district has come down with the Coronavirus.The patient works at Miller Elementary which was closed yesterday for deep cleaning.The campus will reopen today for teachers and staff preparation.Parents in Lake Worth schools have until Friday to decide whether their kids will be in online or on-campus classes.Other districts have also reported recent positive tests including Frisco, Wylie and Carroll.

August 11, 2020

Some Unhappy With New Assisted Living Visitation Rules

There's pushback to last week's new rules regarding visitation rights to nursing homes and other long term care facilities.Nursing home visits must take place outdoors and supervised with both parties in masks. That doesn't sit well with North Texan Mary Nichols, founder of the facebook group Texas caregivers for compromise. "Now both people are outside in the Texas heat, instead of one peeking in a dirty window and climbing over shrubs. There's still no touching. It is still going to be very difficult for people with any kind of dementia."Visitors going in to an assisted living or Texas State school or other long term care facilities can enter the building, but must see their loved one behind Plexiglas. Nichols says "these are hearing impaired senior adults who can't hear any better through the Plexiglas than through the window. They are also talking through a mask. We're still going to have the same kind of confusion and agitation, unable to touch your loved one. She calls this an "enhanced window wave." And it only applies to facilities that have no covid patients nor employees with covid in the last 14 days. Visitors must be screened with a temperature check and wear PPE. She says nursing homes and other facilities does not have to allow these visits. "It's not what we hoped for. It's a baby step, but in a lot of ways I feel like it's a crawl. Five months into this we should be doing better."She fears it could be months before another phase of loosing restrictions happens. "A lot of these residents, they don't have several more months."Nichols wants one family member be allowed to visit per patient. That family member would have to be tested and wear personal protective equipment and be screened upon entering. "That family member would be declared essential and provide the caregiving we provided prior to the lockdown. We're not just visitors. We actually go in there and we assess their environment. We spoon feed them. We take of their grooming. We clean their room. We make sure they have the supplies they need. We trim their hair. We make sure they're not sitting in a wheelchair full of urine. We do more than just sit and visit."

August 11, 2020

High School Athletes Wrestle With Uncertainty Of Fall Sports

In a normal year, high school athletes would start their fall seasons later this month. But this year is anything but "normal." For many athletes, their challeges may be more mental than physical."It becomes all-consuming. Their sport is their identity," says Kimberly Williams, behavioral health care manager at the Children’s Health Andrews Institute. "When the payoff for an athlete is performance and competition, and they're not able to have that, they can likely experience some really deep feelings of grief, denial, and disbelief."So the Andrews Institute is out with some tips to support athletes through the changes in the sports season."We are looking after the whole athlete," says Williams. "Right now, at the forefront is mental health."Williams says sometimes athletes present with symptoms that mask anxiety and depression. But she says to pay attention to their sleep hygiene, changes in appetite, and avoidance of social interactions, which can indicate there is a deeper problem.

August 10, 2020