NewsFlash
May 7, 2020
In recognition of National Hospital Week, members of the Sunnyvale community are invited to join Town officials to show support for healthcare professionals at Baylor Scott & White - Sunnyvale on Friday, May 15 at 10 a.m.
Those wishing to participate are asked to park in the hospital parking lot, facing the hospital. Please ensure that emergency entrances are not blocked. Please remain in your vehicle and be mindful of social distancing.
Flash your headlights, honk your horn, cheer, and/or display signs out the windows of your vehicle to show your appreciation for local healthcare workers!
Governor expands business openings
Governor Greg Abbott held a press conference on Tuesday, May 5, where he announced the issuance of an executive order to expand openings of certain businesses and activities.
Beginning Friday, May 8:
- Cosmetology salons, hair salons, barber shops, nail salons and shops, and other establishments where licensed cosmetologists or barbers practice their trade, may open, but all such salons, shops, and establishments must ensure at least six feet of social distancing between operating work stations.
- Tanning salons may also reopen under the same limitation.
- Swimming pools may open subject to certain limitations, including on their occupancy or operating levels. (Please contact the Town Building Official for more information.)
Beginning Monday, May 18:
- Office buildings may open with the greater of five or less individuals or 25% of the total office workforce. These individuals must maintain appropriate social distancing.
- Gyms, exercise facilities, and exercise classes may open, but must operate at 25% occupancy. Locker rooms and shower facilities will remain closed, but restrooms may open.
- Non-essential manufacturing services may open, but facilities must limit their occupancy to 25%.
These newly opened services are subject to recommended minimum standard health protocols outlined by DSHS. These protocols are available here.
“As we open Texas, we are each called upon to be Texans: to act responsibly as we re-engage in the economy, to continue following all health precautions and sanitizing guidelines, and to care for our vulnerable neighbors. Lives depend on our actions. I know you will respond as Texans.” – Governor Greg Abbott
Kroger announces testing sites
Kroger Health, the healthcare division of The Kroger Co., recently announced plans to expand its drive-thru COVID-19 testing model. As part of the expansion, Kroger Health will now offer free testing sites.
To determine the need for testing, visit www.krogerhealth.com/covidtesting for a virtual screening tool based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines. Eligibility for the testing is based on CDC, state, and local government recommendations.
Those eligible will select a testing location and appointment time. Registrants will then receive an email confirmation with pre-appointment paperwork to complete. When a person arrives for their test, they should have their photo ID ready and should leave their window rolled up for check-in, until a health care practitioner comes to the car to provide the patient with the test.
The drive-thru testing locations will feature a self-administered nasal swab that must be ordered and observed by a provider. Kroger has determined that this testing methodology is beneficial as it increases the number of tests that can be provided while also conserving the amount of personal protective equipment that is utilized.
Testing locations:
Dallas - begins Saturday, May 9:
City Square (parking lot)
1610 Malcom X Blvd.
Dallas, TX 75226
Testing hours:
Monday: 8:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Tuesday: 1 p.m. - 5 p.m.
Wednesday: 1 p.m. - 5 p.m.
Friday: 1 p.m. - 5 p.m.
Saturday: 8:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Fort Worth - begins Thursday, May 7:
J.P. Elder Middle School
600 Park St.
Fort Worth, TX 76164
Testing hours:
Tuesday - Saturday, 8:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Test results are expected within approximately 72 hours and both testing sites are estimated to handle 250 tests per day.
Walmart opens additional testing location in Dallas County
A COVID-19 drive-thru testing site is opening Friday, May 8, in the Walmart parking lot located at 9410 Webb Chapel Rd., Dallas, TX 75220. The site will be open from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. (weather permitting) on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, weekly.
The site is supported by Walmart, eTrueNorth, and state and local officials to test anyone who meets CDC and state and local guidelines, including first responders, health care providers, and others with symptoms of COVID-19 and those in high-risk groups without symptoms.
If you are interested in being tested, visit www.DoINeedaCOVID19test.com to determine eligibility for testing and to make an appointment. For questions regarding testing, please call (800) 635-8611.
- Those being tested will need to wear a mask or cloth covering and stay in their vehicle for verification of eligibility criteria, ID check, and self-administered test. For the safety of those on-site, testing is not available for walk-ups.
- The site will use a self-administered nasal swab test that will allow those being tested to swab their own nose onsite while in their vehicles, observed by a trained medical volunteer to ensure the sample is taken correctly, and then dropped in the sealed sample into a container on their way out of the drive-through site.
- eTrueNorth will handle processing test samples and communicating results to those tested and applicable Departments of Health.
COVID-19 case count
As of 11 a.m., May 7, DCHHS is reporting 251 additional positive cases of 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19), bringing the total case count in Dallas County to 5,120, including 125 deaths. The additional two deaths being reported today include:
- A man in his 60’s who was a resident of the City of Dallas, and had been critically ill in an area hospital.
- A man in his 90’s who was a resident of the City of Grand Prairie, and had been hospitalized.
Of cases requiring hospitalization who reported employment, about 79% have been critical infrastructure workers, with a broad range of affected occupational sectors, including: healthcare, transportation, food and agriculture, public works, finance, communications, clergy, first responders and other essential functions. Of cases requiring hospitalization, 65% have been under 65 years of age, and about half do not have high-risk chronic health conditions. Diabetes has been an underlying high-risk health condition reported in about a third of all hospitalized patients with COVID-19. Of the 125 total deaths reported to date, over a third have been associated with long-term care facilities.
“Today replaces yesterday as our second highest single day of new positive COVID-19 cases. Please keep making good decisions, focusing on not what you can do, but what local health authorities are advising that you should do: avoiding unnecessary crowds, keeping a safe six foot distance, wearing your cloth face covering when on public transportation or in businesses, and practicing good hygiene. Increasingly, it’s up to all of us to take personal responsibility and #FlattenTheCurve and #StayHomeSaveLives,” said Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins.