This week total positive cases and deaths continue to climb in North Texas.
Get the latest news from our COVID-19 Live Updates page.
Monday, May 4
Denton County Announces 3 New Cases
Denton County's three new COVID-19 cases announced today brings its cumulative total to 806. On Sunday, the county reported four new cases. On Saturday, it reported 13.
The county's death total has remained at 22 since Friday.
15 New COVID-19 Cases In Collin County
Collin County reports 15 new cases of the coronavirus today. That brings its number of current cases to 249, as of 3:30 p.m. On Sunday, five new cases were announced.
The number of deaths stands at 22, and the county's number of total cases — current, died and recovered — is now 804.
Dallas County Reports 237 New Cases, A New High Of Total Daily Cases
Dallas County Health and Human Services reported 237 cases of COVID-19, the highest number of daily cases reported so far. The total case count in the county is 4,370.
There have been 114 COVID-19 related deaths in the county.
The additional three deaths being reported today include:
- A man in his 60s who was a resident of the City of Irving, and had been critically ill in an area hospital.
- A man in his 80s who was a resident of the City of Dallas, and had been critically ill in an area hospital.
- A man in his 80s who was a resident of the City of Dallas, and had been hospitalized.
Tarrant County Announces 40 New Cases, 2 Additional Deaths
Tarrant County Public Health reported 40 new cases and two more COVID-19 deaths. The total number of cases is now 2,624.
One patient was a man in his 80s from Benbrook and the other was a man in his 60s from Fort Worth. Both had underlying health conditions.
The county now has 77 deaths due to COVID-19.
Dallas-Based Gold's Gym Files For Bankruptcy
Dallas-based Gold’s Gym, one of the largest fitness chains in the country, filed for bankruptcy Monday. Still, its owners said they still expect to temporarily re-open closed gyms as local ordinances allow.
The company published a video statement from Gold's Gym president, Adam Zeitsiff.
“I want to reassure everyone who's watching this video around the world that we are not going out of business,” he said. “Gold's Gym has been the world's trusted fitness authority for going on 55 years, and we are absolutely not going anywhere.”
Southwest CEO Encourages People To Fly, Says Airplanes Are Safe
The head of Dallas-based Southwest Airlines is encouraging people to fly again as carriers roll out new cleaning procedures and require flight attendants and passengers to wear face masks.
CEO Gary Kelly appeared Sunday on the CBS News program, "Face the Nation."
Kelly said he does not think people are at greater risk of contracting the coronavirus on an airplane than anywhere else:
"In fact, you just look at the layered approach that we use — it's as safe as an environment as you're going to find,” he said. “We're using hospital quality disinfectants, HIPPA air filters to make sure the air is properly filtered and cleaned."
Southwest reported last week it lost nearly $100 million dollars during the first quarter of the year.
City Of Dallas’ Website Crashes Due To Demand For Rental Assistance Program
Demand for rent and mortgage aid in Dallas crashed the city's website for a while Monday morning.
Officials have set aside $6.1 million for rent and mortgage assistance and $5 million for small businesses. The city began taking applications for the aid Monday -- officials said the website was intermittently unavailable due to high volume.
Residential applications will be processed on a first-come, first-serve basis. Small business loan and grant applications will be accepted through May 11. If approved, eligible households could get up to $1,500 for up to three months.
Dallas residents and business owners can submit applications online at dallascityhall.com.
University of Texas at Arlington Postpones Search For New President
The University of Texas at Arlington is postponing its search for a new president amid coronavirus concerns.
The Texas Tribune reports UTA is appointing Teik Lim to serve as interim president.
UTA's former president Vistasp Karbhari resigned in March following an investigation into the school's recruitment practices and a lawsuit against the school from a former employee.
Dallas Mayor Says Occupancy Limit Has Challenged Local Businesses
The Governor allowed certain businesses in Texas to reopen over the weekend. But Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson told CNN the limitations on that have been a problem.
"I don't think every business has figured out how to make the 25% occupancy limit that's been applied to all these businesses that can reopen work for them,” he said. “They don't really know yet how they're going to execute that."
Johnson said a number of local businesses decided not to reopen because they'd be operating at a loss. He also noted that North Texans aren't rushing to eat out, see movies or participate in other areas of the economy that reopened last week.
Read More: A Timeline Of COVID-19's Spread In North Texas
KERA News is made possible through the generosity of our members. If you find this reporting valuable, consider making a tax-deductible gift today. Thank you.
