Coronavirus: WilCo Count Grows By 11 Cases To 352

WILLIAMSON COUNTY, TX — Eleven more cases of new coronavirus emerged over the past 24 hours in Williamson County where a dozen people have died of the respiratory illness.

The upgraded count was tabulated by Williamson County and Cities Health District on a dashboard that is updated daily. According to the data, there have been 352 cases confirmed to date as of Thursday — eleven more than the 341 reported the previous day. Of those diagnosed, 19 are on ventilators, according to the dashboard.

No new deaths were reported on Thursday, breaking a two-day streak that saw a man in his 50s and another in his 90s die of the illness on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively.

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To be sure, the emergence of 11 new cases of illness in a 24-hour period is significant. But it's not close to the biggest single-day jump in diagnoses that occurred on April 26 when the county registered 51 additional cases from one day to the next.

For some time now, Williamson County officials have stopped issuing daily news releases detailing the daily illness count as they once did. As a result, Patch refers to the dashboard on a daily basis to update the public and report on additional spread of the illness. Reached via email by Patch, a county spokesperson said county-generated news released related to new coronavirus are now only issued in the event of deaths from the illness.

"It was a directive from the county commissioners to change the reporting format and dashboard for the COVID-19 cases," the spokesperson wrote in a response to questions. "This also changed the way we are issuing the information," the spokesperson added in the May 6 email. "Now we are only sending a press release when there is a death involved."

As a follow-up, Patch asked for the date when commissioners directed the changes but the spokesperson failed to respond to additional questions. The public can view the dashboard that is updated each day around noon by clicking here. The font size on the main page has been minimized to render the numbers virtually illegible, so users should click on the bar below the first page that reads "View Dashboard Full Screen" to study the latest statistics.

View the Williamson County and Cities Health District dashboard here

Statewide, the number of new cases rose by 968 for a total thus far of 35,290. In the same 24-hour period, 25 more Texas residents died of the respiratory illness — bringing the total fatality count to 973. The Texas Department of State Health Services updates its own dashboard on a daily basis, and it can be found by clicking here.

The uptick in illness comes one day ahead of the second phase of Texas economy reopening as ordered by Gov. Greg Abbott this week. Additional businesses, including barbershops and tanning salons, will be allowed to reopen on Friday per the governor's new set of executive orders announced on Tuesday. Last week, the governor lifted restrictions on restaurants, malls and movie theaters in allowing for partial reopening of those industry sectors in the first phase of his planned reopening.

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The governor also waived the mandatory requirement dictating that residents wear protective face coverings as a safeguard against the spread of illness. The governor on Tuesday made a point to alert municipalities they can no longer assess fines to residents not adhering to the wearing of protective facial coverings as his new executive orders trump local ordinances.

Among the governor's orders:

• Beginning May 8, cosmetology salons, hair salons, barber shops, nail salons and shops — and other establishments where licensed cosmetologists or barbers practice their trade — will be allowed to open but must adhere to a distance of at least six feet between operating work stations, the governor said. Tanning salons may also reopen under the same limitation, Abbott added.
• Beginning May 18, office buildings may open with the greater of five or less individuals or 25 percent of the total office workforce per the governor's new order. Office workers must adhere to physical distancing guidelines, per the order.
• Gyms, exercise facilities, and exercise classes could open as soon as May 18, but must operate at 25 percent occupancy. Locker rooms and shower facilities will remain closed, but restrooms may open. Non-essential manufacturing services may also open on May 18 but facilities must limit their occupancy to 25 percent. These newly opened services are subject to recommended minimum standard health protocols outlined by state health officials, the governor noted.
• The governor also issued new guidance from the Texas Education Agency centered on graduation ceremonies. In expanding the businesses allowed to reopen, Abbott said gyms could open their doors again as early as May 18 so long as customers wear gloves while using the machines and maintain a buffer of at least 6 feet from others. However, showers and locker rooms must remain closed, the governor said.
• Other sites cleared for reopening are wedding venues and services required to conduct weddings allowed to open their doors immediately, the governor said. However, weddings held indoors other than at a church, congregation, or house of worship must limit occupancy to 25 percent. Wedding reception services may also resume, but facilities also must limit their occupancy to 25 percent occupancy. These occupancy limits do not apply to the outdoor areas of a wedding reception or to outdoor wedding receptions, Abbott noted.
• No timeline was given as to when bars might reopen.

"Texas is in a position to continue opening parts of our economy because of the efforts and determination of the people of Texas," Abbott said during his press conference. "Over the past month, Texans have worked together to contain the spread of COVID-19 by following social distancing practices and staying at home whenever possible. As we move forward, I urge all Texans to continue following these social distancing guidelines and the health standards we have provided. With every Texan doing their part, we will contain COVID-19, we will unleash our entrepreneurs, and we will make it through this challenge together."

As Abbott made his remarks on Tuesday, health officials were upgrading the illness increases for that day: 33,360 cases total, with 1,028 new cases and 22 additional deaths.