Effective thru April 3rd; Virus cases reach 464
HARRIS COUNTY – Faced with the reality of mounting cases of the infectious and potentially lethal Coronavirus known as COVID-19, local leaders have issued an order to “Stay Home Work Safe” which amounts to a shelter in place directive.
At a joint news conference last Tuesday morning, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo and Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner called for all but essential members of the public to stay at home, not to travel and not to congregate in groups. Businesses were advised to have their employees work at home. The order is set to last ten days, until Friday April 3rd.
As of last Friday, there were 464 virus cases in the greater Houston area that had tested positive. These include Houston 69 with 1 death, Harris County 135 including 1 death, Brazoria County 39, Brazos County 31, Fort Bend County 86, Galveston County 40, Matagorda County 9 including 1 death, Montgomery County 41, Chambers County 2, Liberty County 2, Grimes County 2, Wharton County 3, and Walker County 2.
Statewide in Texas there are 1,731 cases with 23 deaths. Nationally in the U.S. there are 100,390 cases and 1,543 deaths. Worldwide the cases number 587,958 with 26,909 deaths
The Order allowed the public to travel for necessities such as food and fuel, and allowed workers in 16 essential categories to continue to work. These include: Healthcare, Law Enforcement and Public Safety, Food and Agriculture, Electricity or Utility workers, Petroleum, Natural and Propane gas workers, Water and Wastewater workers, Transportation and logistics, including auto repair and postal service, Public Works, Communications and Media including newspapers, Government and Education, Critical manufacturing, Hazardous materials, Financial services including banks, Chemical workers, and Defense industries.
