COVID19

July 7, 2020June 12, 2021

Corny Dogs Cancelled Due to COVID19

2020 Corny Dogs and the State Fair of Texas are cancelled due to COVID19’s spread across Dallas. This news come shortly after the State Fair of Texas had cancelled its usual July 4 festivites earlier this year due to COVID19 .

Corny Dogs And State Fair of Texas Cancelled in 2020

Per a statement from the State Fair of Texas, the Board of Directors has voted to cancel the 2020 State Fair of Texas. After extensive consideration of the current landscape related to the COVID-19 pandemic and the health and safety of all fairgoers and overall community.

“This was an extremely tough decision. The health and safety of all involved has remained our top priority throughout the decision-making process,” said Gina Norris, board chair for the State Fair of Texas. “One of the greatest aspects of the Fair is welcoming each and every person who passes through our gates with smiles and open arms. In the current climate of COVID-19, there is no feasible way for the Fair to put proper precautions in place while maintaining the Fair environment you know and love. While we cannot predict what the COVID-19 pandemic will look like in September, the recent surge in positive cases is troubling for all of North Texas. The safest and most responsible decision we could make for all involved at this point in our 134-year history is to take a hiatus for the 2020 season.”

Corny Dogs At Football

The NCAA, the respective conferences, and participating universities – the University of Texas & University of Oklahoma and Prairie View A&M University & Grambling State University will make decisions regarding scheduled football games at a later date. They would still occur at Cotton Bowl Stadium should they be played.

This will be the first time since World War II that the State Fair of Texas has not opened. The State Fair of Texas has previously canceled Fairs because of World War I (1918), planning for the 1936 Texas Centennial Exposition and 1937 Pan American Exposition at Fair Park (1935 – 1937), and World War II (1942 – 1945).

The 2021 State Fair of Texas is scheduled to run Friday, September 24 through Sunday, October 17 in historic Fair Park.

June 24, 2020June 12, 2021

Record Breaking COVID19 Cases

Texas reported 5000 new COVID19 cases. This is a single day-high for new coronavirus cases as of Tuesday and reached a new all-time high of hospitalized COVID-19 patients for tweve straight days.

This includes 1000 new Dallas cases and almost a dozen new deaths.

The Texas Department of State Health Services reported 5,489 new COVID-19 cases Tuesday and 4,092 patients hospitalized with COVID-19. Tuesday’s hospitalizations were a jump of 381 patients from the previous record of 3,711 hospitalized Monday.

Gov. Greg Abbott had previewed the new single-day high during television interviews Tuesday afternoon before DSHS released specific figures.

The previous single-day high was 4,430 cases on Saturday. Since last Wednesday, the Texas Department of State Health Services has reported over 3,000 new cases each day, with 3,866 on Sunday and 3,280 on Monday. At least 2,192 deaths have been reported through Monday.

Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said that the next couple of weeks would be critical to address recent surges in states like Texas.

Gov. Abbott continues to plan for business as usual.

A recent draft plan leaked shows the Texas Education Agency plans to re-open schools in the fall despite numbers continuing to rise.

June 22, 2020June 12, 2021

Dallas ISD Survey

Dallas ISD parents are being asked for their opinion about how they want their children to return to school for the 2020-2021 school year per a post on the Townview Magnet Foundation website.

Parents can let Dallas school administration know what you think by filling out a survey for each of their children. You will find a video explaining the latest plans the district is considering and links to the survey for each school by visiting www.dallasisd.org/parentsurvey2020.

Despite schools being shortchanged by the state withholding federal dollars, it appears the Texas Education Administration wants students in school despite the threat of coronavirus spread.

Dallas ISD Contact

If you have any questions or need help with the survey, please click on the Contact Us-Let’s Talk link you will find on that page.

Dallas ISD is scheduled to return to campus August 17, 2020.

June 19, 2020June 19, 2020

COVID19 Masks Are Back

Masks for COVID19 prevention are back! Friday morning, Dallas County commissioners voted to mandate that businesses in the county require customers to wear a mask to contain the spread of novel coronavirus.

Clay Jenkins Wears His COVID19 Prevention Mask

Dallas County Commissioners passed the order 3-2 after an emotional debate. Commissioners Elba Garcia and Theresa Daniel voted with County Judge Clay Jenkins in favor of the mask requirement. Commissioners J.J. Koch and John Wiley Price voted against.

Businesses that don’t comply face up to a $500 fine.

COVID19 In Texas

The order comes as Dallas and Tarrant county see COVID19 related infection spikes. This includes 413 confirmed cases in Dallas County on Wednesday.

Bexar County issued similar rules and Gov. Greg Abbott did not object to Bexar County’s new rule. In an interview he said: “Just like they can require people to wear shoes and shirts, these businesses can require people to wear face masks if they come into their businesses. Now, local officials are just now realizing that that was authorized.”

Governor Abbott seems to be playing both sides of the fence on the COVID19 issue. Earlier this week he said schools would open in person.

The new order goes into effect at 11:59 PM tonight, June 19, 2020.

June 18, 2020June 12, 2021

Failing Governor Plans To Fail Students…Again

Governor COVID19 strikes again. State legislators were informed Thursday morning in a conference call that Texas students will be returning to public schools in person this fall.

Per a Texas Tribune article: “It will be safe for Texas public school students, teachers, and staff to return to school campuses for in-person instruction this fall. But there will also be flexibility for families with health concerns so that their children can be educated remotely, if the parent so chooses,” said Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath.

The TEA is expected to release additional guidance for school districts next Tuesday, but the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) standards are clear.

This is another poor decision by a Governor and his team that is seeing massive growth in COVID19 numbers as he mangles the response to the disease.

Centers for Disease Control COVID19 Standards

Governor Abbott Plans To ReOpen Despite COVID19

The more people a student or staff member interacts with, and the longer that interaction, the higher the risk of COVID-19 spread. The risk of COVID-19 spread increases in school settings as follows:

Lowest Risk: Students and teachers engage in virtual-only classes, activities, and events.
More Risk: Small, in-person classes, activities, and events. Groups of students stay together and with the same teacher throughout/across school days and groups do not mix. Students remain at least 6 feet apart and do not share objects (e.g., hybrid virtual and in-person class structures, or staggered/rotated scheduling to accommodate smaller class sizes).
Highest Risk: Full sized, in-person classes, activities, and events. Students are not spaced apart, share classroom materials or supplies, and mix between classes and activities.

COVID-19 is mostly spread by respiratory droplets released when people talk, cough, or sneeze. It is thought that the virus may spread to hands from a contaminated surface and then to the nose or mouth, causing infection. Therefore, personal prevention practices (such as handwashing, staying home when sick) and environmental cleaning and disinfection are important principles that are covered in this document. Fortunately, there are a number of actions school administrators can take to help lower the risk of COVID-19 exposure and spread during school sessions and activities.

June 17, 2020June 12, 2021

TexasCOVID Trends After Governor Plays Blame Game

TexasCOVID and Governor Greg Abbott became a Twitter trending social media topic on Tuesday. In comments June 16 he criticized younger residents of his state for what he said was the reason in the coronavirus spike.

TexasCOVID Trends After Governor's Comments

Abbott specifically called out young people.

“What we’re seeing there is that people of that age group, they’re not following these appropriate best health and safety practices,” he said in an interview Monday with Lubbock’s KLBK-TV. “They’re not wearing face masks, they’re not sanitizing their hands, they’re not maintaining the safe distancing practices. And as a result, they are contracting COVID-19 at a record pace in the state of Texas.”

Abbott provided no data to back up his assertions that TexasCOVID infections were increasing among 20-somethings faster than any other group.

A Texas Department of State Health Services spokesman Monday said it’s too soon to have hard data on 20-somethings contracting COVID-19 at a record pace.

TexasCOVID History

The state of Texas began its phased reopening plan at the end of April. Bars were allowed to open May 22 with limited capacity and Abbott announced on June 3 that Texas would enter its third phase of reopening, meaning that restaurants could increase capacity to 75%.

The Governor said: “”We believe that a lot of people have let down their guard,” the governor said. “The summer’s here. Things are opening up. They feel like they can go out without having to wear a face mask.”

Abbott must have forgotten his own role in letting his guard down though. He alone took responsibility for reopening Texas as Scott Braddock noted back in April when the Governor removed the traditional authority centers, county judges and city mayors, from the decision making process.

There has been a steady rise in cases since the state moved into the third phase, Texas saw another new peak Tuesday, reporting 2,622 new cases and 2,518 Texans who have tested positive for the coronavirus are currently hospitalized.

A group of Texas mayors asked Abbott to require face coverings in public. Even with overwhelming scientific data that we are still in the first phase of TexasCOVID, Abbott has refused to require face coverings.

TexasCOVID Press Release From Clay Jenkins

Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins in a press release stated he had no desire for an argument with the Govenor or for jailing the non compliant, but “he was “calling on the Governor to either require masks through gubernatorial action or allow local governments to make the decusion for their communities.”

Clay Jenkins Talks About TexasCOVID response