SMU Sees A Spike In Cases, Dallas To Offer Rent/Mortgage Assistance To Residents Outside Of Dallas Proper, The Gaylord Texan ICE! Exhibit Cancelled & More.

The pandemic has persisted through St. Patrick’s Day, Cinco de Mayo, the Fourth of July and retuning to school, and even as local cases seem to be on a slow downturn, it’s important to remember millions of Americans will be looking to celebrate Labor Day this weekend. As Judge Clay Jenkins said on Thursday: “We are not where we need to be in our battle.”

For more on this, here are some of the latest developments:

  • On Thursday, Dallas County reported 249 additional cases and right new deaths. This brings the total number of confirmed cases in Dallas County to 72,860 and the death toll to 934.

  • 4,189 out of 5,935 hospital beds in Dallas are occupied, which brings the total occupancy to approximately 71%. 650 out of 960 ICU beds are filled, while 323 out of 993 ventilators are in use.

  • To probably no one’s surprise, Universities in North Texas are seeing spikes in cases. Late last week TCU was reportedly one of the nation’s top campus hot spots after jumping to more than 350 active cases. It now has a slight increase to 374 cases. Similarly, SMU saw a considerable spike this week after it was reported to have 119 active campus cases. The school’s Sigma Chi chapter is under total quarantine due to the newfound cluster.
  • Dallas County is offering rent and mortgage assistance to residents of cities outside of Dallas proper such as Irving, Mesquite, Addison, Duncanville and DeSoto. Recipients will be selected via a lottery system, and eligibility will be decided based on the applicant’s household income in relation to the area median income. For more information, click here.
  • Dallas County Heath and Human Services will open a housing complex where residents with COVID-19 can quarantine. There are, of course, caveats. Applicants must not have severe cases that require emergency medical attention, and they must reside in a household where social distancing is difficult (such as households with shared bathrooms and bedrooms, or with immunocompromised occupants.) Should you be approved, you will only be allowed to stay for 21 days.
  • The Gaylord Texan Resort is cancelling its 2020 edition of the annual ICE! exhibit. The Grapevine winter event has made a name for itself as one of DFW’s most hyped Christmas events, but in its absence, the Gaylord Texan is coordinating a series of other holiday exhibits that are being marketed as socially distant.
  • Some voting locations could be closed this year due to a shortage in poll volunteers. According to the Dallas Morning News, about 85% of poll workers are 65 years or older, and with elderly people being more at risk during the pandemic, the chances of them turning out to volunteer are less likely. To put that in context: Dallas County normally has about 750 polling locations for elections, but plans to have 469 this year.

That concludes our biweekly COVID-19 news roundup. Be sure to wear a mask, practice social distancing at every opportunity possible.

Oh, and here’s a little tip about Labor Day weekend: You won’t have to get a designated driver if you celebrate at home with as few people as possible. Just saying!

Cover photo via WikiCommons.

No more articles