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CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) UPDATE
April 27, 2020
Dear Friends,
We hope this message finds you and your family well. We wanted to update you on the important announcement made earlier today by Governor Greg Abbott. In a press conference this afternoon, the Governor released his ongoing plan for the strategic and safe phased re-opening of Texas. Below you will timely information from that announcement as well as other updates for you and your family.
RE-OPENING TEXAS
Governor Abbott announced today that he will allow the previous Executive Order mandating statewide stay-at-home to expire on April 30th. He stated that following the advice and direction from medical experts, sectors of the Texas economy will enter into a phased re-opening beginning this Friday, May 1st.
PHASE I:
All retail stores, restaurants, malls and theaters can reopen on Friday, but at 25% capacity. Museums and libraries will also be allowed to open at 25% capacity, but hands-on exhibits must remain closed. Churches and places of worship remain open. Outdoor sports are allowed to resume so long as no more than four participants are playing together at one time. Certain social distancing practices must also be followed.
Local government operations, including county and municipal government operations relating to permitting, recordation, and document-filing services, may reopen as determined by the local government.
Public swimming pools, bars, gyms, cosmetology salons, massage establishments, bowling alleys, video arcades, and tattoo and piercing studios will remain closed through Phase I. Nursing homes, state supported living centers, assisted living facilities, and long-term care facilities must remain closed to visitors unless to provide critical assistance.
In smaller counties with fewer than 5 cases, business may re-open on May 1st at 50% capacity.
This order supersedes local orders saying those businesses must remain closed. Reopenings are optional, and businesses may choose to remain closed if they wish.
The Governor strongly suggested that Texans wear a mask when outside their homes and that Texans 65 years old and older should still stay home for now.
PHASE II:
Officials will monitor the COVID-19 situation to make sure there is not an increase in infection and hospitalization rates. Pending no alarming increase in COVID-19 cases requiring hospitalization, other sectors of the Texas economy could begin as early as May 18. Phase 2 would also mean that businesses allowed to be open could expand occupancy to 50%.
The Governor’s office has also released Texans Helping Texans: The Governor’s Report to Open Texas. This detailed report helps Texans understand phase one by outlining the new protocols, guidance, and recommendations. The report also includes a series of Open Texas Checklists that outline DSHS’ minimum standard health protocols for all Texans.
Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins announced last week that he is extending the stay-at-home order until May 15th. For those confused about these conflicting orders, know that to the extent the state and local orders conflict, the state orders supersede. That means that the county’s stay-at-home provisions shouldn’t conflict with the changes at the state level because the local order will still direct people to stay home unless visiting a business or location that is allowed to be open.
EXPANDED TESTING
The Governor also announced a statewide testing and tracing program developed by DSHS that will help public health officials quickly identify and test Texans who contract COVID-19 and mitigate further spread of the virus. This program will help identify individuals who have contracted COVID-19 and those who may need to quarantine or be tested due to potential exposure. Phase I of the tracing program has been completed, and Phase II begins today. Phase III begins May 11. More details about the contact tracing program are available in the Governor’s Report to Open Texas beginning on page 16.
Last week, Governor Abbott announced that the Texas National Guard would be mobilizing more than 1,200 personnel to serve on COVID-19 mobile testing teams. The teams will be sent to various parts of the state identified by the Texas Department of State Health Services. Currently, the Texas National Guard has the capacity to test 150 people per day at each mobile testing team location.
The Dallas testing sites at the American Airlines Center and the Ellis David Field House have expanded the criteria to allow testing of grocery stores employees or employees of other essential retail regardless of symptoms. They will also administer tests to any first responders, DART drivers, and healthcare workers regardless of symptoms. Other who can be tested are those 65+, those with chronic health issues or those with a temperature of 99.6+, shortness of breath or a cough.
Part of the $484 billion relief package passed last week by the U.S. Senate will be directed toward increasing COVID-19 testing capabilities. Analysis of the relief bill says that roughly $25 billion will go toward “necessary expenses to research, develop, validate, manufacture, purchase, administer and expand capacity for COVID-19 tests.” There will be $11 billion allocated to states and localities to expand their testing and the rest will be given to other entities, including federal agencies, to invest in promising new technologies and to distribute to labs.
As of noon on April 27th, more than 290,000 people had been tested for COVID-19 in Texas, with 25,297 confirmed cases across 205 of our 254 counties.
HELP FOR SMALL BUSINESSES
The U.S. Congress passed another relief package that would provide an additional $484 billion in aid for small businesses impacted by COVID-19. Some elements of the relief package include $310 billion for the Paycheck Protection Program, $60 billion for smaller lending facilities, $10 billion for grants under the Emergency Economic Injury Disaster Loan program, and $50 billion for disaster recovery loans.
In addition to federal aid money, Governor Abbott announced that Goldman Sachs and the LiftFund, along with other financial institutions are partnering to provide $50 million in loans to small businesses in Texas that have been impacted by COVID-19. Business owners can apply for a loan and find more information about the program on the LiftFund website.
The Governor’s office, in partnership with the Texas Workforce Commission, has launched a Small Business Webinar series. The webinars are designed to provide Texas small business owners and entrepreneurs with timely, relevant, and actionable information on COVID-19 recovery resources. The series plans to cover a variety of resources available including information on programs offered by the U.S. Small Business Administration that may be of assistance to Texas businesses impacted by COVID-19. Businesses can also connect with local experts and support systems. You can watch the previous webinars here.
As a reminder, we’ve set up a COVID-19 webpage in coordination with the United Way. We encourage you visit the page to submit your questions, requests for assistance or to learn more about how to help those in our community who are deeply impacted by this crisis.
I’ll send further updates and information as needed. In the meantime, should you have questions or concerns, please feel free to reply to this email or call us at (469) 554-0428.
