On Tuesday, Tarrant County Commissioners took action to put the county’s stay-at-home order bringing it more in line with Gov. Greg Abbott’s new orders. Abbott eased some restrictions this week, allowing some retail businesses to reopen with curbside service and approving some elective medical procedures.
But Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley said that “Now is not the time to relax.”
During the Commissioners Court meeting on Tuesday, Whitley said he thinks the country is several weeks away from loosening restrictions.
At the meeting, Tarrant County Public Health Director said there were more than 80 cases of COVID-19 reported on Tuesday, along with three deaths.
Tarrant County Public Health (TCPH) on Tuesday, April 21 reported the deceased include a woman in her 90s and a man in his 40s, both from Fort Worth, and a man in his 90s from Arlington. All had underlying health conditions.
Tarrant County now has 42 confirmed deaths from the COVID-19 virus. 223 people have recovered. “These deaths are unfortunate reminders that we are still in the fight against this deadly virus,” said Tarrant County Public Health Director Vinny Taneja. He urged everyone to continue to follow the guidelines below to protect themselves and their families.
There were 84 new cases reported on Tuesday in Tarrant County.
Denton County Public Health (DCPH) on Monday announced one additional Denton County resident has died as a result of COVID-19, bringing the total to 17 deaths due to COVID-19 in Denton County. The patient, a male resident of Dallas in his 70s, was a hospitalized, local transmission COVID-19 case in Denton County.
“As we report the loss of a seventeenth life to COVID-19 in Denton County today, we hope everyone will take a moment to keep our fellow residents affected by this pandemic in your thoughts and prayers,” said Denton County Judge Andy Eads. “The seriousness of taking precautions cannot be overstated. With community spread endemic in our county, we must continue taking necessary steps to ensure we do not contribute to the problem.”
DCPH is also announcing 5 new laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Denton County. This increases the cumulative, countywide total to 598 confirmed COVID-19 cases with 249 of those now recovered.
“Reporting an additional death within Denton County reiterates the severity and risks associated with COVID-19,” stated Dr. Matt Richardson, DCPH Director. “New cases being reported to DCPH have remained low today and we are hopeful that this decrease is the flattening of Denton County’s curve. However, we realize there may still be delays in new cases being reported to local health departments due to the updates over the weekend.”