COVID 19 Digest: Medical City Closes Park Cities ER, Quarantine Ordered For Some Air Travelers
News is coming fast and furious these days as the county, state, and nation grapple with slowing the spread of COVID-19. Here are the bullet points you need to know today.
Community Test Sites Reach Limit Again
Both community testing sites, at American Airlines Center and the Ellis Davis Field House, again reached their federal testing limits of 250 tests, per site, per day March 26, according to the City of Dallas Office of Emergency Management.
The sites resume testing at 8 a.m.
Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said on Twitter that he’s requesting 400 additional test kits per day for the sites.
I’m requesting additional 400 additional kits a day for our two sites immediately from our federal partner through a STAR request to @TDEM Staff is writing now.
— Clay Jenkins (@JudgeClayJ) March 26, 2020
Medical City Dallas Temporarily Closing Medical City ER Park Cities
Medical City Dallas will temporarily close its off-campus emergency department, Medical City ER Park Cities, at 5974 W. Northwest Highway, at 7 p.m. March 27 to better direct COVID-19 resources and staff, according to a public notice on Medical City Healthcare’s website.
Patients can be seen at the main Medical City Dallas campus or any of the Medical City Healthcare emergency departments in North Texas.
Gov. Abbot Orders Air Travelers From New Orleans and Tri-State Area Around New York To Self-Quarantine
Gov. Greg Abbott March 26 issued an executive order mandating a 14-day self-quarantine for people traveling to Texas via airport from the tri-state area of New York, New Jersey or Connecticut as well as New Orleans.
The executive order is enforced by the Texas Department of Public Safety.
The order requires that a quarantined person not allow visitors into or out of the designated quarantine location, other than a physician or healthcare provider, and not visit any public spaces. These mandatory self-quarantines will last a period of 14 days or for the duration of a person’s presence in Texas, whichever is shorter.
Those entering Texas as their final destination from the designated areas will use a form from DPS to designate their quarantine location.
Abbott tasked DPS special agents with checking on quarantined people to ensure compliance. Failure to comply with the order is considered a criminal offense punishable by up to a $1,000 fine, up to 180 days in jail, or both.
“The state of Texas continues to act upon the recommendations of top state, federal, and local health experts as we implement a comprehensive strategy to limit the spread of COVID-19,” said Abbott. “The New York tri-state area and the city of New Orleans have become major centers of this pandemic, and it is vital that we take necessary precautions to prevent additional exposure that could originate from people traveling from these areas to Texas.”
The order doesn’t apply to people traveling in connection with military service, emergency response, health response, or critical-infrastructure functions, as may be determined by the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM).
The executive order remains in effect until modified, amended, rescinded, or superseded by the governor.
