Health officials report two more deaths and 90 new cases

Safer at Home Order extended to April 30

After a two-hour special meeting on March 30, Dallas County commissioners voted 4-1 to extend the county’s emergency declaration until 11:59 p.m. May 20.

The special called session began at 9 a.m. this morning. Judge Clay Jenkins participated in the meeting via an online feed.

District 3 Commissioner John Wiley Price voted against the extension expressing frustration throughout the meeting that his district needed relief from the negative financial impact the shelter in place order was producing on his constituents.

The court’s amended order will state that commissioners “continue working with the business community in addressing COVID-19 and the mitigations that have been recommended with the advice of the medical community in all of the decisions.”

Jenkins explained the Safer at Home Order for the county would be extended to April 30 via his Twitter account this afternoon.

“Based on the extension of the Declaration of Disaster granted today, I am extending the Dallas County Safer at Home Order to April 30. The Declaration of Disaster is necessary to provide the tools to lead you through this. The Safer at Home Orders are the rules we ask of you.”

The court’s next scheduled meeting is 9 a.m. April 7.

This morning Dallas County Health and Human Services reported 90 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total case count in Dallas County to 921 with 17 total deaths to date.

The 16th and 17th deaths from COVID-19 reported include a woman in her 70s, who was a resident of a long-term care facility and a woman in her 80s, who was a city of Dallas resident.

According to health officials these individuals had been critically ill in area hospitals.

Authorities also have stated that of cases requiring hospitalization, over three-quarters (77%) have been either over 60 years of age, or have had at least one known high-risk chronic health condition.

Diabetes has been a chronic high-risk condition reported in over a quarter (28%) of all hospitalized patients with COVID-19.

From staff reports. [email protected]