A day after ordering all dining rooms, bars, gyms and other venues to close, Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins is urging Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to expand the measure statewide to combat the spread of COVID-19.
Following President Donald Trump's advice Monday that people not gather in groups larger than 10, Jenkins ordered all community gatherings county-wide to be capped at 50 people and that all bars, lounges, taverns, nightclubs, health clubs and theaters be closed to combat the spread of the virus.
On Tuesday, Jenkins took to Twitter to ask Abbott to do the same across the state so that "we can have a fighting chance to flatten the COVID-19 curve."
Jenkins said statewide implementation was necessary so that people simply didn't cross county lines to congregate, potentially carrying the virus with them.
During a phone call with hospital leaders Tuesday, Abbott said there are currently 64 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Texas spread across 19 counties. The first confirmed death in Texas was a man in his 90s in Matagorda County.
It is not clear if those numbers include the nine added by Dallas County or the sixth case added by Tarrant County Tuesday morning.
Abbott added that more than 1,260 Texans have been tested for COVID-19 and that FEMA will be providing the state with an additional 15,000 test kits. The governor estimated that by the end of the week the state will be able to test 10,000 people.
