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Coronavirus

Even the Governor Agrees: Much Work Remains Before Texas’ Economy Reopens

In Dallas County, a push for a plan to return to business. At the state, hesitancy—until we get more tests.
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County Commissioners John Wiley Price and J.J. Koch were none too happy with Judge Clay Jenkins on Friday. The commissioners triggered an emergency meeting after Jenkins amended the existing shelter-at-home order to mandate that residents wear masks when trafficking essential businesses or using public transit. Price yelled over Commissioner Elba Garcia and slammed his fist to the table. Koch rubbed his temples and raised his voice, questioning whether Jenkins understood what he was asking of the public.

Koch was troubled that Jenkins was calling for masks to be worn while craft shops like Hobby Lobby remain closed. At one point, he screamed about that, coupling it with his demand to amend the language to bar police from citing violators. Koch spoke of a “loss of voluntary compliance” and suggested that residents would not follow the rule because they were being told what to do by an authority without a plan to reopen the economy.

As Garcia spoke about the need to be careful and follow orders to stay inside, Price’s voice jumped an octave: “You are an essential business! It’s easy for you to speak when you are an essential business!” For weeks now, Price has loudly bemoaned the selection of businesses deemed essential and otherwise, saying his constituents are hurting. On Friday, he brought up the thousands of barbers and beauty salon employees who “can’t eat for the last month” because their shops are closed to stem the spread of coronavirus. “I’m feeling for them,” he said.

By the end of the meeting, Price, Koch, and Commissioner Theresa Daniel successfully reopened craft stores—but nothing beyond them. The language regarding face coverings was amended to clarify that you won’t be ticketed for not complying. Then, half an hour later, Gov. Greg Abbott ordered those very craft stores to sell their products to-go, but nothing else. It would’ve superseded the commissioners ruling either way.

Such is the tricky, shifting manner in which the county is balancing its own emergency order with that of the state’s. The governor’s noontime press conference had been billed as a plan to reopen the economy. He revealed a “strike force” of business leaders and health experts that will guide the response in the coming weeks. Immediately, he reopened all retail but ordered them to sell curbside. He loosened restrictions on elective medical procedures, including diagnostic tests. He closed schools through the end of the summer. He reopened state parks, but limited groups to no more than five people. Everyone who goes to one must wear a mask.

But that’s it for the onset. The rest will have to wait until more testing is done. In the Commissioners Court meeting, Dr. Mark Casanova, the head of the Dallas County Medical Society, noted that the virus was “alive and well” in the community despite recent numbers showing a flattened curve of new incidences. Abbott echoed that in his press conference, saying that until we have a better understanding of where the virus is, he’s not comfortable opening the economy in full.

That decision would be made “when it is determined that the infection rate continues to decline, that hospital capacity remains available, and testing capacity is sufficient to detect and contain outbreaks of COVID-19,” Abbott said.

It is clear we are not there yet. It is 4:15 p.m. on Friday as I write this, and I am waiting on Judge Jenkins to call me to answer some questions. There was no press conference today. I’ll be able to go into more specifics after I speak with him.

Jenkins has gotten some wins in recent days. Both drive-thru testing facilities have doubled their capacity, allowing for 1,000 total daily tests for coronavirus. Walgreens has opened up its own testing facility in South Dallas, providing up to 160 free swabs a day. All of those are now one-day turnarounds, so no more shipping off to the labs and waiting a week.

His ambitions are higher. He wants to turn UT Southwestern and Parkland into mega testing centers, capable of pushing out 6,600 tests a day. He has filed a formal request with the state for processing but is still negotiating. The federal government says there are tests available on the open market, but those don’t seem to be making it here. They’re instead targeting hot spots for the virus; our curve is flattening and our hospitals have capacity.

And so Dallas County’s testing numbers are still crumbs, according to data from the Texas Department of State Health Services. On Friday afternoon, Dallas County had tested 9,456 of its 2.6 million residents. That’s a penetration rate of .36 percent. Let’s look at a smaller county, like Lubbock, which has tested 1,788 of its roughly 311,000 residents. That’s almost double, .57 percent. North of us, in Collin County, there have been 2,605 tests for its 1.03 million residents, about .25 percent. The rhyme and the reason for the frequency and volume of testing in Texas counties are opaque.

There is still a checklist for public testing, like a fever with a cough or difficulty breathing. Your private physician can order a test if you’re asymptomatic, but public locations in Dallas won’t perform it.

So that’s why Abbott was so hesitant to fully open the economy. He called for the “medical architecture to comprehensively test and trace COVID-19.” The governor said he expects “a dramatic increase in the amount of testing we will be able to do” by the end of the month. But he stopped short of saying what that amount would be, how it would be deployed, or where it was even coming from.

Until then, wear a mask when you’re going to a business. Listen to Clay Jenkins.

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