Dallas County residents ordered to stay home as new shelter-in-place rules are put in place

Dallas County residents are being ordered to stay in their homes except for essential work and errands, beginning at 11:59 p.m. Monday. All businesses that are not deemed essential must also stop operating.

County Judge Clay Jenkins announced the strictest limits yet on social gatherings, work and movement in Texas Sunday evening. His order, which came the same day the number of positive cases of coronavirus cases in the county surpassed 100 and the death toll climbed to three, is the latest update to restrictions that were implemented March 12.

“This order is our best chance to flatten the curve here in Dallas County and save as many lives as possible," he said. “It makes me sick that we’re at this point.”

The extraordinary escalation, meant to dramatically reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus that leads to COVID-19, puts an end to social gatherings of almost any kind, a move Jenkins said he was not ready to take only days ago.

Residents may exercise and walk their pets outside, however, they must stay at least six feet away from others. Restaurants may continue to offer delivery. Grocery stores may remain open. DART trains and buses will also continue to run. However, religious services must be broadcast and must limit staff on-site to 10. Weddings are prohibited. Funerals may go on, but social distancing is required. Elective surgery and dental work must be rescheduled.

Jenkins said he was convinced the state’s health care system would be overrun by late April if stricter rules were not put in place.

“The goal of this order is never to exceed our hospital capacity and to minimize the catastrophic outcomes we’ve seen in other countries because they waited too long,” Jenkins said.

Jenkins was flanked by graphics that suggested the state’s hospitals would run out of beds by April 28 and that as many as 480,000 Texans could die under the current limits on gatherings. The data was based in part on models by the Imperial College of London and were published online at covidactnow.org.

The orders echo similar measures in California and New York.

Earlier Sunday, Gov. Greg Abbott said he was not prepared to put such restrictions in place statewide, noting that most Texas counties have not reported a positive COVID-19 case.

He suggested that local authorities put stricter policies in place if they deem them necessary.

“At this time it is not the appropriate approach to enforce that strict standard statewide,” Abbott said.

Jenkins, who earlier pressured Abbott to shutter restaurants statewide, reiterated his hope that Abbott would reconsider.

“I was so in hopes this would be a statewide ban and I would not be standing here tonight," he said, adding later: “We’re headed to a point of no return if we continue to dawdle.”

Following the order, County Commissioner J.J. Koch, a Republican who represents northern Dallas County, advised surrounding counties, specifically Collin, Denton and Tarrant counties, to follow suit.

“This is non-partisan action,” he said. “We have to step up and do the right thing. If we do not we will be punished -- and severely.”

Koch noted that Parkland Hospital & Health System has 159 ventilators, and other regional hospitals in the area have no more than 700 combined. The virus, known to cause shortness of breath and double pneumonia, may require hospitalization in dire cases.

“After we get 10,000 cases, we are going to have to ask our doctors to choose who lives and who drowns to death from disease,” he said. “We are going to have to ask doctors to decide who is going to be living and dying within the next two weeks.”

Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson said in a statement that the city is still figuring out how best to enforce the county’s orders in the city of Dallas but said he supports the stay-at-home approach.

“While this approach likely means our city will experience economic difficulties, our top priority is public health, and it’s vitally important that we take the steps necessary to save lives and prevent strain on our healthcare system.”

Johnson echoed Jenkins’ call for statewide action, saying the virus “does not respect political boundaries."

”I believe a statewide or regional approach, as opposed to a county by county or city by city approach, is the best way to defeat this pandemic and defeat it quickly."

Jenkins’ order expires April 3. However, he said he expects county commissioners to extend the order. Earlier portions of Jenkins’ order remain in place: nursing homes must restrict visitation, entire households must isolate if any member tests positive for the virus and noise ordinances are suspended in order for delivery trucks to make their way to grocery stores.