Judge Clay Jenkins Says He Won’t Opt Into Gov. Greg Abbott’s Bar Reopening Plans, The Dallas County GOP Chairman Tests Positive For The Virus And More.

A lot has happened since we last checked in. As the case has been for nearly all of their COVID-19 decisions, Gov. Greg Abbott and Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins have found themselves on conflicting ends of pandemic response. That’s just the beginning of the latest in COVID-19 news in North Texas.

  • On Thursday, Dallas County reported 198 additional cases and 4 new deaths. This brings the total number of confirmed cases in Dallas County to 85,189 and the death toll to 1,044. Of Thursday’s 238 total cases, 40 are probable cases.

  • Out of 5,823 hospital beds in Dallas, 4385 are occupied, bringing the total occupancy to about 75 percent. Also, about 71 percent of the ICU beds are occupied while 36 percent of the ventilators are being used.

  • Greg Abbott is officially allowing bars to reopen, but county officials must choose to opt in. Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins says he will not be allowing bars to open at this time. Collin and Denton counties have deiced to allow bars to open, however. Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley is still figuring out what the county’s next steps will be. Bars that do open will have to limit capacity to 50% and must follow the same social distancing protocols that restaurants do. Aside from bars, Abbott’s new guidelines also allows for businesses that were previously allowed to operate at 50% capacity to move to 75% capacity, such as amusement parks and move theaters.

  • Dallas GOP Chairman Rodney Anderson has tested positive for COVID-19. According to the Dallas Morning News, Anderson tested positive after interacting with someone at a football game who had contracted the virus. Anderson has not interacted with anyone in the Dallas County Republican Party staff since Saturday. His spokesperson, Will Busby, said that Anderson is encouraging people to use their individual responsibility to protect each other.
  • Dallas County is already running low on Flu shots. On Tuesday, the county’s health director, Dr. Phillip Huang, said there is a shortage of free vaccines. Flu Season is from October to May, and Huang is encouraging people to get their flu shots as soon as they can to avoid the coronavirus and the flu overwhelming the healthcare system, but there may be a wait. Huang said a new shipment of the vaccines should arrive by mid-October. Collin County, however, does not have a shortage. Tarrant County is experiencing some delays in receiving shipments of vaccones. To schedule a flu shot in Dallas County, you can call 214-819-2000.

That’s all for our biweekly coronavirus updates this week. Check back in on Tuesday for more. Until then, forget to wear your mask, maintain social distance and wash your hands.

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