COVID-19 pandemic in Texas

The arrival of COVID-19 in Texas is thought to have been earlier than previously known.[4] From January to March, 1,473 more deaths were recorded than the average for 2014–2019.[4] In one specific case, Bastrop County judge Paul Pape reported symptoms starting February 9.[4][5]

March 2: Research by Austin Public Health found 68 cases in the area dating back to this time.[6]

Empty shelves from panic buying at the Sams Club in Lufkin, Texas, on March 13, 2020.

March 4: Public health officials in Fort Bend County, a suburb of Houston, reported a presumptive positive test result in a man in his 70s who had returned in late February from travel to Egypt. The man was hospitalized in stable condition. The new case was the first confirmed with laboratory testing in Texas outside of US nationals evacuated from Hubei Province and the Diamond Princess cruise ship to Joint Base San Antonio in January 2020.[7][8]

March 5: Public health officials in Houston reported four confirmed cases in two men and two women from Harris County. Both cases are related to the same recent travel group to Egypt.[9][10]

March 6: Three new cases were reported in the Houston area, one in Houston and two in Fort Bend County. All cases were part of a group that had traveled together to Egypt. This brought the Texas cases to eight, all in the Houston region.[11][12]

March 9: the Dallas suburb of Collin County reported 3 new presumptive cases.[13] The patients were a married couple and their 3-year-old child who attended Frisco ISD. The man tested positive for the virus after visiting Silicon Valley in late February.[14] The following day, Dallas County and Tarrant County both announced one presumptive case in each county, respectively, with both patients having recently traveled domestically out of state.[15] Out of over 45 confirmed cases of coronavirus on the Egyptian river cruise MS A'sara, twelve were confirmed to be Houston area residents.[16]

March 11: Houston mayor Sylvester Turner announced cancellation of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo after declaring the outbreak as a public health emergency.[17] The first case of community spread in the Houston area was announced the same day, in a police officer in his 40's from Montgomery County who had attended the a barbecue cookoff event at the rodeo on February 28 and had not traveled out of the state.[18][19] Eighteen cases of COVID-19 would be confirmed in rodeo attendees, though it is unclear whether they all contracted it at the rodeo.[19] Lakewood Church in Houston, one of the nation's biggest mega-churches announced it was canceling in-person services till further notice.[20] On March 12, Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins announced five additional positive cases with one of the cases being the first instance of community spread in the North Texas area.[21] A day later, the cities of Austin, San Antonio, and Tyler, as well as Bell and Galveston counties, announced confirmed cases. San Antonio also announced a ban of gatherings of 500 or more.[22]

March 13: University of Texas president Gregory L. Fenves announced that his wife Carmel had contracted coronavirus after a trip to New York City, during which they attended several events with alumni and students. In an open letter to UT staff, faculty, and students, Fenves stated his wife began exhibiting flu-like symptoms after their trip, and tested positive for COVID-19. Both Fenves, his wife, and an additional family member had a self-isolation, and the president advised community members to follow CDC preventive measures against the spread of the virus.[23] The first case of COVID-19 was also reported and confirmed in El Paso.[24]

March 16: Matagorda County officials announced the second confirmed positive case of coronavirus in Matagorda County. The patient, a man in his late 90s, died March 15 with symptoms consistent with COVID-19.[25] The second confirmed death in Texas was reported on March 17, of a resident of a retirement community in Arlington who died on Sunday, March 15.[26]

March 17: The third confirmed death in Texas was reported on March 18, of a resident in Plano.[27]

March 26: Bell County, Texas announced its first confirmed death, a woman in her 80s.[28]

April 1: 44 college students from the University of Texas at Austin tested positive for coronavirus. They are part of a group of 70 college students who had chartered a flight for spring break in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Some of the students took commercial flights back home to the US, causing health and other officials to have to try to track down who else may have been infected, via contact tracing.[29][30] On June 24, 2020 the CDC reported that 64 total people were infected from the trip, including 60 travelers, one household contact, and three community contacts.[31]

April 3: Sixty residents and nine staff members at a San Antonio nursing home have been infected with COVID-19. One person has died. Nationally, there have been 450 nursing home deaths.[32]

April 17: Governor Abbott issued Executive Order GA-17, establishing the Governor's Strike Force to Open Texas, for advisement from political and medical leaders on "safely and strategically restarting and revitalizing all aspects of the Lone Star State". That process began with revised social distancing protocols that now allowed delivery and pick-up services starting the 24th, under Abbott's previous executive order, GA-16, also issued on the 17th. Also on this day, Governor Abbott ordered the closure of all public and private schools for the remainder of the 2019–2020 academic year, including all institutions of higher education.[33]

April 27: On April 26 Moore County had become the first county in Texas with more than 1/100 of population infected (272). Of all infections added in Texas on that day, 1/14 came from this county having 1/1400 part (21,575) of Texas population (29,677,668). On April 27 the infection rate for Moore county became 1.3%, 15 times higher than the average value detected for Texas.[34][35] Governor Abbott announced the first of three phases in a plan to open Texas up from the lockdown, allowing restaurants, retail businesses, museums, and other locations to open up at 25% occupant capacity starting May 1, albeit under new minimum standard health protocols.[36] The Governor's Office also released The Governor's Report to Open Texas, outlining the three-phase plan to end the lockdown and giving guidance on the newly released social protocols from the Governor and chief officers of the Strike Force.[37]

May 1: After a decline in the infection expansion in mid-April, the number of new detected infections exceeded 1,000 on April 30 for the first time after April 10, and was 1,142 on May 1. The registered number of active infections exceeded 14,000. A new highest number of daily COVID-related death, 50, was recorded on April 30.[38][39]

May 8: The total number of recorded COVID-related deaths exceeded 1,000.[39] The registered number of active infections became higher than 16,000.[35]

May 13: Potter county became the first large (>100,000 population) county with recorded infection rate greater than 1%, while the rate in the adjacent smaller Moore county approached 3%. The COVID-related death rate in Texas was about 1/25,000 of total population, but some smaller counties (include Moore and Washington) have rates higher by a factor of ten or more.[40]

May 15: New highest daily numbers for new infections (after the previous high on April 10) and COVID-related death cases (after the previous high on April 30) were recorded. The registered number of currently active infections exceeded 18,000.[40] This represented a new increase in infection growth and an increase in probability of infection for more people coming in contact with infected people.

May 16: Largest single day jump in new cases (1,801 new cases). The Amarillo area (Potter and Randall counties) recorded 734 new cases due to targeted testing of employees at meat plants in the area. Governor Abbot previously ordered a Surge Response Team (SRT) to Amarillo to begin testing in high risk areas (such as meat packing facilities).[41][42]

May 28: A new highest daily number of new infections (1,855) was reported by Texas HHS.

May 31: Another new high of daily infections was recorded (1,949). Moore county was officially above 3% of positive cases among total population.

June 5: The number of new detected infection exceeded 10,000 per week, almost twice as many as at the end of April. With at least twenty-three deaths and a population of just over 23,000, Panola county is likely the first county in Texas with registered covid-related deaths at 1/1000 of the total county population.[43]

June 6: Another new high was recorded in the number of new infections. The number is higher than the sum of new infections reported for the day in Italy, Spain, France, and Germany together. Also, a record high addition was recorded in Harris county, with 483 new cases (as reported by Harris County Public Health). New confirmed cases have increased consistently in the 0.8%-3.2% range since mid May.

June 10: The number of reported new daily cases for the first time exceeded two thousand (actually exceeding also 2500). Many June daily case numbers, including the 10th, have been more than double the reported amount on May 1.[44] Estimated number of active cases (potential infection sources among population) became above 25,000, approximately twice higher than in the end of April. The number of new cases compared to April shows that the percent of positive test results is not lower now, than it was then, while only about 15,000 tests per day were conducted the last week of April vs about 32,000 test per day for the last seven days.[45]

June 11: Raw daily infection numbers per capita are virtually same as in California, where very similar increase of infection rates began in May and increased in June. The third by population state, Florida, is just slightly faster in growth. California still has stay at home orders in effect, while Texas and Florida in total do not.

June 15: For the first time, Harris county added more than 500 new cases and estimated more than ten thousand active cases. Covid-related hospitalizations had exceeded two thousand cases statewide during the previous week. New reported deaths for the first two weeks of June are lower 25% than for the first two weeks of May, which suggests opening in Texas has not yet led to a "2nd wave".[45] Some officials, including Governor Abbott, have suggested this disparity could imply that the increase in cases recently is the result of more testing.[46]

June 16: 2,622 new cases were reported, a record high since the beginning of the outbreak in Texas, suggesting COVID-19 is continuing to rise. Additionally, almost one-and-a-half thousand previously unreported cases from jails and prisons were added to the count. Total estimated number of active cases exceeded 30 thousand (50% increase in two weeks). On Monday, Texas recorded its highest daily number of patients hospitalized due to the coronavirus — for the fourth day in a row.[47] Also, Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott tested positive for COVID-19.

June 17: The number of new daily cases became higher than 3,000. This is only a week after level of 2,000 was "achieved" (see above). The number of fatalities during last seven days is still slightly below the number for the last week of April.[45]

June 18: The number of new daily cases became higher than 3,500. The Wall Street Journal reports: In Texas, hospitalizations have also been climbing, but weekly fatalities are down 40% from a month ago. COVID-19 patients occupy fewer than 5% of all hospital beds, and more than a quarter are available. Even in Houston, with its largest and main in Texas medical capacities, which has experienced the biggest increase in hospitalizations—COVID-19 patients occupy only 6% of hospital beds. More than 20% of the beds are unused.[48]

June 20: A new daily count became 4430, showing a fast increase of growth (it is also higher than the record high for California). It included a huge yesterday number from Harris County, at near 1,200, which is more than double of its previous highest record. And for tomorrow Texas counts, since state had a day delay, Harris has already more than a thousand today. Information from the most infected north-west (Texas panhandle) became strangely low and/or unavailable after a substantial spike began to show there in the beginning of June. In the US list of total counts Texas moved up one more place, to fifth, above Massachusetts (one on the states in the original "hot spot" around New York). Two month ago, Texas was outside first ten.

June 23: Almost 5,500 new cases were recorded. Texas became the largest state in the USA in terms of new cases (California is also slightly above 5,000, 400 below Texas). Hospitalization is quickly rising and became above 4,000 (after going above 2,000 for the first time just two weeks ago). The 5,500 new cases are out of over 52,000 tests performed, a new state record.[49] (for comparison, during April Texas was performing about 12,000 tests per day with average 800 positive). Since the percent of positive results in tests is much higher now, at around 15-17%, instead of 3-4% in May, this suggests that more infections are going undetected. The actual infected number is probably much higher as many infected people do not show symptoms. The number of daily deaths in Texas is still lower than in late April.[50]

June 25: A surge in cases prompts Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley to issue an executive order requiring mandatory face mask wearing at every business in the county.[51] ICU beds were full at two hospitals in Laredo, prompting calls for state assistance.[52]

June 26: Governor Greg Abbott issued an executive order limiting certain businesses and services as part of the state's efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19.[53]

June 27: Texas has moved one position up, to the fourth, in the list of US states by the number of detected infections. The number of new cases added during last three days is 17450. It is higher than the total number of cases accumulated to April 17, when plans for "reopening" were announced by Texas state administration.

June 28: Governor Greg Abbott warns that the spread of coronavirus infections has taken a "swift and very dangerous turn" in Texas. US Vice-President Mike Pence urges Texans to wear masks, saying "we know from experience, it will slow the spread of the coronavirus".[54]

Sixth Street in Austin after all bars and restaurants were ordered closed

On March 13, Six Flags (based in Texas) suspended operations to all twelve of their properties nationwide as well as in Mexico, that were operating in the month of March, until the end of the month; these include the two Texas parks, Six Flags Fiesta Texas and Six Flags Over Texas. On March 30, the closure was extended to all of their properties.[86] Sea World San Antonio announced plans to close from March 16 to April 1, along with all Schlitterbahn waterparks,[87] the parks have delayed the closure. Both Schlitterbahn waterparks announced they'd be the first major water park in the state to reopen in mid-June.[88] The two Texas Six Flags parks will reopen the parks on June 19.[89][90]

On March 14, H-E-B announced that all of their stores across the state will reduce open hours, to help restock items. This also includes their pharmacies and Central Market locations.[91] The announcement comes a day after the company announced that its Houston area stores would be the only locations to implement changes to their operations.[92] A month later, H-E-B expanded their store hours across the state (closer to normal store hours), as supply availability has improved.[93][94]

As of May 26, KVUE reported that "The Texas Restaurant Association estimates that 6% of restaurants in Austin have shut down for good during the pandemic, and that number is estimated to be at 12% statewide".[95] A number of these restaurants that closed had been famous and well-established in the state for decades. Some notable ones include Highland Park Cafeteria, a Dallas restaurant that had served comfort food for 95 years, and Threadgill's, an 81-year old tavern that was the first post-Prohibition Austin business with a beer license before becoming a restaurant in 1981 (Janis Joplin started her music career here).[96][97]

For the first time in the event's history, South by Southwest was cancelled as a result of local health concerns about the coronavirus pandemic.[98][99] The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo cancelled the rest of the event on March 11, that was slated to run until March 22. It was confirmed that a resident from Montgomery County, Texas that was tested positive, attended the BBQ cook off at the rodeo on February 28.[100] The attendance for the rodeo on February 28, was 77,632, with 73,433 of the visitors went to the "World Championship Barb-B-Que Contest," where that person attended.[101] The FIRST Robotics World Championship, slated to occur in Houston around mid-April, was canceled due to the Coronavirus, along with all the other FIRST Robotics Competitions in Texas. The Championship is one of the world's largest gatherings in competitive robotics.[102]

After the announcement of the ban of gatherings of over 500 people on March 13 (in San Antonio), Fiesta San Antonio postponed their event to November 2020, that was originally slated for mid-April.[103]

Digital homework assigned in a Texas public school

Houston Independent School District, the state's largest school district, is among dozens of school districts extending their spring break, to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus.[104][105] The closures are not without precedent, as many schools closed for two weeks during the 2009 H1N1 flu when Houston experienced a major outbreak.[104] Among the closures of school districts and universities across the state, Governor Greg Abbott waived all State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) testing for the 2019–20 school year for public grade schools on March 16.[106]

On March 19, Governor Abbott issued an executive order that closed schools statewide until at least April 3.[107] On March 31, the Governor announced that schools in the state will continue to stay closed until May 4.[108] On April 17, Greg Abbott said that Texas public schools would be closed for the remainder of the 2019–20 school year and that schools will continue to offer distance learning.[109]

As of May 19, University of Texas at Austin disclosed that they were rolling out a series of "financial mitigation measures" to alleviate employee furloughs and other economic distress from COVID-19, even after receiving government grants.[110][111] On May 20, it was announced that UT-Austin would open the campus for the Fall semester of 2020, but would conduct all classes and tests remotely after Thanksgiving break.[112] They later announced on June 3 that classrooms would be kept at 40 percent capacity, and that around 2,100 classes (about a fifth of all available classes) will be conducted online during the fall.[113] On June 8, both UT-Austin and Texas A&M University announced that wearing masks will be required when inside campus buildings during the Fall 2020 semester.[114]

On June 23, UT Austin announced that it is waiving SAT and ACT testing requirements for high school students who apply for fall 2021 undergraduate admission to ensure that COVID-19 does not affect a student's ability to apply to the university.[115][116]