2:33 p.m. President Trump on Friday declared a national emergency, about two hours after Gov. Greg Abbott did the same across Texas.
“We will overcome the threat of the virus,” Trump said.
The declaration unleashes $50 billion in emergency funds and allows federal officials to waive various rules allowing hospitals to treat those infected with COVID-19.
“What you have seen now with this order is that we are going to be able to remove the constraints,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the Centers for Disease Control.
As testing becomes the vocal point of containing and treating the virus, Trump said the government and pharmaceutical industry are cooperating in the hopes 500,000 tests would be available by next week.
“No resource will be spared, nothing whatsoever,” Trump said.
The goal, Trump said, is to streamline and put the full weight of the government and nation behind the effort.
“Our over-riding goal is to stop the spread of the virus,” Trump said. “This will pass through and we are going to be even stronger for it.”
2:25 p.m. Coronavirus is keeping visitors away from incarcerated friends and relatives for the foreseeable future.
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) has temporarily suspended visitation at all facilities statewide until further notice due to the ongoing threat of the coronavirus, according to a Friday statement from the TDCJ, Chronicle reporter Rebecca Hennes said.
“While we understand the value and significance of the visitation process at our facilities, we also understand the importance of providing and maintaining a safe and healthy environment for all involved,” the statement read.
The move follows suspension of cancelation of visiting hours at some of the largest jails in the region.
Effective tomorrow the Harris County jail will suspend inmate visitation to prevent coronavirus outbreak. Securus will offer inmates 2 free calls per week. We apologize for the inconvenience but the health of our staff and inmates is our priority. https://t.co/M88OCqTjtH #HouNews pic.twitter.com/yZDUKcfSwY
— HCSOTexas (@HCSOTexas) March 13, 2020
2:07 p.m. Concern is a fertile turf for cons, something medical experts are already seeing as the new coronavirus spreads in the U.S.
In a post, Shanley Pierce with Texas Medical Center News notes federal officials already have warned seven companies to stop claiming their wares cure COVID-19.
“During this turbulent time, there’s always someone who’s going to benefit from something like this,” infectious disease expert Laila Woc-Colburn, M.D., associate professor and director of medical education at Baylor College of Medicine‘s National School of Tropical Medicine, told Pierce. “People use this opportunity when there’s a fear or a new disease in order to gain something. Right now, we don’t have any vaccines, pills, potions or products that we use for the disease COVID-19.”
Texas Medical Center News is an in-house publication of the medical center.
CORONAVIRUS UPDATES: Stay informed with accurate reporting you can trust.
1:56 p.m. UT President Gregory L. Fenves didn’t have to look far for the first signs of COVID-19 on the Austin campus.
In a letter to the university community, Fenves said that it was his wife Carmel who tested positive for the virus after traveling to New York for several events with alumni and students last week, Chronicle reporter Brittany Britto reports.
“After the trip, Carmel started exhibiting mild flu-like symptoms. She tested negative for the flu yesterday and was then tested for COVID-19. This morning at 5:30 a.m., we received the news that she had tested positive,” Fenves wrote. “This news came several hours after local health officials had announced two other, separate cases in Travis County.”
Fenves said a second member of his family, who also works at UT, is presumed to have the virus as well. All three of them, Fenves included, are now in self-isolation.
“Under normal circumstances, I would not describe the details of an individual’s illness. However, given the widespread impact of COVID-19, Carmel and I wanted to share this information with you so members of our community can take proper precautions,” Fenves wrote.
UT officials had already announced this morning that classes are canceled. In addition to UT-Austin, Texas Southern University and Houston Community College announced today that classes are canceled for the day.
After announcing an extension of its spring break Thursday, Houston Community College again made an announcement via Twitter Friday, canceling classes through spring break. Classes will resume online on Wednesday, March 25 and there are plans to reschedule tests, according to officials. The decision follows HCC’s announcement that there was a possible exposure to coronavirus at two buildings.
Texas Southern University suspended classes Friday “due to expanded concerns related to coronavirus.” Classes will resume online on March 23 following the university’s spring break next week.
1:12 p.m. Settle in for a long break for area schoolchildren, Chronicle reporters Jacob Carpenter and Shelby Webb said.
Hours after nearly all Houston-area districts announced they will be closed through next week in an effort to reduce the spread of the virus, education leaders said Friday they are preparing to remain out of school well beyond this month.
“We’re planning as if we’re going to have to do school remotely for the remainder of this (school) year,” said Fort Bend ISD Superintendent Charles Dupre, whose district serves about 78,400 children, the region’s fourth-highest total.
Curtis Culwell, executive director of the Texas School Alliance, a coalition of about 40 large districts across the state, said emergency declarations by local and state governments and growing awareness about the potential for widespread infections have caused school leaders to recalibrate their expectations.
“If we’d had this discussion two days ago, I think we’d have said (school closures) would last a couple weeks, maybe to the first week of April,” Culwell said. “I think the reality that’s beginning to sink in is, this could be longer than that.”
A host of complications come with the closure. Education leaders continued preparations Friday for accommodating students’ academic and food needs, with some districts announcing plans for the beginning of next week.
School districts technically cannot get reimbursed for school meals delivered off-site or to smaller groups until the Texas Department of Agriculture gets a waiver from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. TDA officials said they submitted a waiver request Thursday morning, and hope to receive approval in the next couple of days.
Nonetheless, districts across the region are planning to deliver student meals starting early next week. A few districts, including Aldine and Klein ISDs, already have announced pickup times and locations. In Fort Bend ISD, where about 40 percent of children quality for free or reduced lunches, district officials plan to announce details on a curbside meal pickup schedule by early Friday afternoon — regardless of whether the district expects to receive a waiver in time to provide food.
“Any superintendent worth their salt is saying, ‘We’re feeding kids,’” Dupre said.
12: 20 p.m. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said 39 confirmed cases of COVID-19 are known across Texas, though dozens more Texans have been tested, declaring a state disaster that opens the door to state funding and oversight.
The move allows Texas to swiftly move forward with funding and responding to various needs in containing and treating the disease. State officials will also coordinate with nursing homes and hospitals to restrict visiting and protect elderly and sick residents.
“We want to make sure we do all we can to protect this vulnerable population,” Abbott said.
Health officials are also encouraging people to self-quarantine themselves if they have any signs of illness.
“We don’t need people who are sick coming into work,” he said.
Abbott also said stores should not be overrun, as deliveries continue.
“The is absolutely no need to go out and stockpile supplies,” Abbott said.
Work at the state level started more than a month ago.
Abbott says Texas has been anticipating community spread of #COVID19 and taking proactive measures since as early as January. Building on existing infectious disease protocol.
Directing people to https://t.co/lj09GmyqiX for information. pic.twitter.com/hPt1tDorMN
— Taylor Goldenstein (@taygoldenstein) March 13, 2020
Thirty-five states and the District of Columbia have issued similar disaster declarations, according to the National Governors Association. Emergency declarations vary by state but generally give governors broader ability to make directives that protect people and property and sometimes indicate that he or she is preparing to request federal aid.
Abbott’s declaration came a day after President Donald Trump addressed the nation and announced a 30-day ban on most Europeans entering the country and at the tail end of a week filled with major cancelations, some unprecedented, from the Houston Rodeo and South by Southwest in Austin to professional sports league shutdowns to in-person classes at colleges and universities.
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo had issued local disaster declarations Thursday after a Montgomery County man with no recent travel history tested positive for COVID-19, possibly the state’s first instance of community spread.
12:03 p.m. Houston-area Southern Baptist churches were urged Friday to cancel live gatherings for the next two weeks, Chronicle reporter Rob Downen said.
In a lengthy blog post, Josh Ellis, head of the Union Baptist Association, urged the area’s roughly 325 churches to “flatten the curve” of the virus’s spread through social distancing.
“Time is of the essence,” Ellis wrote. “…This is the time to consider strategies for being a good neighbor. “
The recommendation follows decisions by several large SBC churches — including Houston’s First Baptist Church, Champion Forest Baptist Church and West University Baptist Church — to move services online.
Second Baptist Church of Houston, which is among the country’s largest of any denomination, had not announced any closures as of noon on Friday.
SBC churches are all autonomous and self-governing, and so are free to remain open regardless of Ellis’ suggestions.
Leaders of other denominations have also called for the suspension of in-person services. On Thursday, East Texas’ top United Methodist official asked that churches move worship online.
11:48 a.m. East Texas is on the verge of its first COVID-19 case, it appears.
Citing health information of individuals who have returned to Jefferson County from a cruise, Jefferson County Judge Jeff Branick is planning to sign a disaster declaration Friday evening, Beaumont Enterprise reporter Kaitlin Bain said.
He said he couldn’t give more information about the circumstances surrounding the people’s, but said the county at this time does not have any confirmed cases of COVID-19.
“I’m probably going to sign a disaster declaration when I get back this evening,” he said. “We will then make a decision on some conference calls with the Department of State Health services on what we’re going to do with the fair.”
11:40 a.m. Galveston County has confirmed its first presumptive COVID-19 case., sort of.
In a release, the county’s health district said the woman is 30-35 years old and her case “is directly linked to Montgomery County Public Health’s presumptive positive case involving a man in his 40s. The woman was tested by Austin Public Health and is currently self-quarantined in Austin. She is a resident of northern Galveston County.”
Health officials said the risks should be kept in perspective.
“This is a rapidly evolving situation. We understand this presumptive positive case may concern our community, but at this time there is no evidence of community spread,” said Dr. Philip Keiser, Galveston County local health authority. “The immediate risk for Galveston County residents remains low. We have worked very hard planning and preparing for this moment. There are steps in place to safeguard the community.”
Officials will discuss the issue further at a 1 p.m. news conference.
11:31 a.m. Another chance to eat food cooked over a flame bites the dust.
After careful assessment of the growing concerns regarding the COVID 19 outbreak and out of an abundance of caution, we have made the difficult decision to postpone the 29th Annual AGC Houston BBQ Cook-Off. https://t.co/5RPrUvTYGA pic.twitter.com/YiNoFQGsiD
— AGC Houston (@AGCHouston) March 13, 2020
The concerns over being in public have pushed many to stock up their pantries, something the Chornicle’s Greg Morago says requires people to consider proper provisions.
COVID-19 has not only altered our lives, it has forced us to think about how we shop and the foods and supplies we buy.
Fourteen days of food and water is what the Department of Homeland security recommends before a pandemic. Now that we’re in one, it has become even more essential to know how to best prepare your family.
11:18 a.m. Houston area gyms are doing some heavy-lifting to lessen the odds of spreading sickness, writes Chronicle reporter Julie Garcia.
While classes remain on the schedule at Houston’s Black Swan Yoga locations, common practices have been changed to handle COVID-19, the new coronavirus that has been officially declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization.
“We (usually) have props in the studios — blocks and straps you can use to get in poses, but we’ve removed all the props from the rooms and are encouraging students to bring their own,” said Olivia Keller, owner and instructor at Black Swan on White Oak Drive.
It begs the question: Should you go to the gym during the coronavirus pandemic?
No governmental agency has advised against it. But if there was ever an “Enter at Your Own Risk” scenario, a building with the sole purpose of making you sweat is it.
The virus is thought to be spread mainly from person-to-person who are in close contact with one another (6 feet or less) through respiratory droplets from coughs or sneezes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There’s no word on sweat, though.
While it may be possible to contract the virus by touching a surface or object carrying the virus before touching their own mouth, nose or eyes, the CDC does not believe that’s the main way the virus is spread.
11:07 a.m. The health museum in Houston is hosting a public event Saturday where one piece of advice likely to come up is not to go to public events. That’s why they’re only doing it via Facebook.
From 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., the John P. McGovern Museum of Health and Medical Science in collaboration with UTMB will host a public Coronavirus Preparedness Panel and Q&A Discussion with local experts from UTMB and Baylor College of Medicine. The event features Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine and director of the Texas Children’s Center for Vaccine Development and Texas Children’s Hospital Endowed Chair of Tropical Pediatrics. Hotez has been a leading expert in advising people to take proper precautions such as limiting exposure to others.
In a release the museum calls the event “a one-of-a-kind opportunity for event attendees to have their questions answered directly from the experts.”
They’ll just have to sibmit those questions electronically. Juan Alanis, who handles media relations for the museum, said officials are aware of the concern some residents might have to attending the event, so Friday morning they opted for a strictly live-streamed gathering on the museum’s Facebook page.
The Q&A also tucks in nicely with a traveling exhibit currently at the museum. Titled Outbreak: Epidemics in a Connected World, the display items include a history of pandemics in the Houston area.
Thursday, museum officials canceled a screening of the movie Outbreak, but have not yet canceled an April 9 screening of Contagion.
10:38 a.m. Bloomberg is reporting that President Trump will declare a national emergency today, opening the door to federal assistance to states and municipalities dealing with outbreaks of the new coronavirus.
Trump had already confirmed, via Twitter, a 3 p.m. press conference.
I will be having a news conference today at 3:00 P.M., The White House. Topic: CoronaVirus!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 13, 2020
10:20 a.m. The potential for long stays at home have advocates focused on making sure some low-income communities and newcomers to the region receive the same level of attention as the rest of the Houston area.
In Gulfton, among the most diverse communities in the region and among the most densely-packed with blocks of apartments, many families will get most of their information from local schools, said Anne Whitlock, founding director of Connect Community, which works in the Gulfton and Sharpstown area with residents to improve health and community development.
“The worry is how to keep them productively engaged,” Whitlock said of residents, especially children, who live in very close confines and often mingle among neighbors.
Officials also are in the early stages of figuring out what school cancelations mean for residents and pupils.
“They are going to send them home with a ton of resources, but it is not going to be optional,” Whitlock said, noting many homes will not have quality internet service.
Help could be on the way for that, according to Chronicle Techburger columnist Dwight Silverman.
Comcast is beefing up its internet service for low-income customers in response to the growing number of people who may be forced to stay home as the coronavirus advances in the United States, increasing download and upload speeds and providing a 60-day free trial.
Starting Monday, Internet Essentials‘ speeds will jump to 25 megabits per second for downloads from 15 Mbps. Uploads will increase to 3 Mbps from 2 Mbps. New customers who sign up will get 60 days of free service. Internet Essentials costs $9.95 per month.
On a site devoted to AT&T’s response to the pandemic, the company noted its own low-income internet offering:
“Many of our AT&T Internet customers already have unlimited home internet access, and we are waiving internet data overage for the remaining customers. Additionally, through Access from AT&T we’ll continue to offer internet data to qualifying limited income households for $10 a month.”
Whitlock said beyond the early stages of setup for school, she and others are reaching out as the initial response to the new coronavirus settles in to the apartment complexes.
“My biggest fear is the longer it goes on the less effective social distancing becomes because people go stir crazy,” she said.
She already saw some signs of that Thursday.
“None of the children seem to be upset. For them it seems to be a big hilarious holiday.”
10:03 a.m. It’s clear not everyone is heeding the advice of city health officials and staying away from large crowds. They’re contributing to them outside area stores.
Line outside Costco at Bunker Hill Road #coronavirus #houston #Covid_19 @HoustonChron pic.twitter.com/K5erhOMYS9
— Godofredo A. Vásquez (@godovasquez) March 13, 2020
Many certainly are not following the six-foot rule when it comes to social distance.
Came to H-E-B at 6:30 am to get some medicine and staples for the house. The line is now wrapped around the entire grocery store. Everyone had the same idea. pic.twitter.com/pbPmRtDpV8
— Brittany Britto (@brittanybritto) March 13, 2020
The good news, at least for the long lines, is there is not a major problem in terms of supply.
H-E-B has been preparing for #COVIDー19 & we are in a strong position to keep replenishing shelves. Customers shouldn’t panic, we continue to restock shelves. We encourage preparedness, not stockpiling – please buy what you need & leave some for your neighbor behind you.
— H-E-B (@HEB) March 13, 2020
As Houstonians hunker down and prepare for possibly long periods of time at home, they are stocking up on all sorts of items, while officials urge them to take precautions but avoid panic.
There is no need to rush the stores. st
— Sylvester Turner (@SylvesterTurner) March 13, 2020
9:48 a.m. San Antonio has its first travel-related cases of COVID-19.
BREAKING: Mayor Ron Nirenberg announces San Antonio’s first travel-related case of coronavirus. Not related to evacuees at Lackland.
He is also declaring another public health emergency.
— Lauren Caruba (@LaurenCaruba) March 13, 2020
In making the announcement, Mayor Ron Nirenberg says city is banning large gatherings of 500 or more poeple, for at least the next seven days.
City health director Dawn Emerick said the case is considered travel-related and not transmission within the area. The person tested positive yesterday and is self-quarantined in stable condition.
“We have to stay the course as we continue to prepare, take precautions, practice social distancing and take extra care to safeguard our most vulnerable populations,” Emerick said.
9: 38 a.m. Now the Boston Marathon is pushed to September, per AP.
Pressure had mounted in recent weeks from officials in Boston and the seven cities and towns along the 26.2-mile (42.2-kilometer) course. Some had expressed worries not only for the health of the 31,000 registered runners but also the estimated 1 million spectators who traditionally line the route, giving athletes hand slaps, high fives and even kisses as they pass.
President Donald Trump’s order restricting most Europeans’ travel to the United States over the coronavirus complicated efforts to salvage the race. Thousands of runners come from Europe to compete at Boston.
9:22 a.m. Jim Nantz is going to have a ton of free time for the next few weeks.
Augusta National decided Friday to postpone the Masters because of the spread of the coronavirus, according to AP.
Club chairman Fred Ridley says he hopes postponing the event puts Augusta National in the best position to host the Masters and its other two events at some later date.
Ridley did not say when it would be held. The PGA Tour has canceled all events through the Masters, and golf has a full schedule of events through the year.
Delaying the golf tournament is the latest in a host of sports shutdowns, including the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, where Nantz along with the Masters is the central face for CBS.
Though the closings will give him far less to write about, they are a good decision, says Chronicle sports columnist Jerome Solomon.
If you’re still debating whether this is an overreaction, perhaps you care more about sports than people.
Oft misdescribed as a diversion from the real world, sports aren’t played by fictional characters from make believe lands. Athletes might indeed perform superhuman feats of strength and agility, but they are no less human.
8:42 a.m. The Harris County Juvenile Justice Center is closed until further notice as officials work through a possible visit from someone infected with the new coronavirus.
In an email distributed to prosecutors obtained by the Chronicle, Harris County District Attorney’s Office Intake Division Chief Jim Leitner said a person who had been in the building this week was quarantined as a suspected COVID-19 case.
“Accordingly the JJC has been shut down and no one from our office is allowed to enter until further notice,” Leitner wrote, ordering those who might have been working at the JJC not to report to work.
The news of spread in a detention center didn’t surprise Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez.
I have huge concerns for our hospitals and corrections facilities. It’s only a matter of time before #coronavirus enters a jail or prison. As a jail administrator, I run one of the largest systems in our country. People regularly cycle in and out of jails and prisons. Many of
— Ed Gonzalez (@SheriffEd_HCSO) March 13, 2020
Aurelia Ray showed up bright and early before 9 a.m., worried about her daughter, currently in the detention center.
“I have a 15 year old daughter in there with chronic asthma,” Ray said. “She’s been intubated twice. I don’t want my daughter up there in a bunk.”
The coronavirus just exacerbated the mother’s concern, she said.
“I’m not even worried about coronavirus I’m just worried about her asthma.”
8:32 a.m. Ted Cruz will remain homebound for a bit longer, his office said in a statement.
“I still have no symptoms and feel fine, and I was looking forward to taking my family out to dinner tonight,” the senator said. “Unfortunately, last night I was informed I had a second interaction with an individual who yesterday tested positive for COVID-19.”
Cruz said he met March 3 with Santiago Abascal, the leader of the Vox Party in Spain. The two shook hands and then took photos together.
“My understanding is that Mr. Abascal tested positive for COVID-19 last night,” Cruz said in the statement. “His staff have informed us that he was asymptomatic at the time of our meeting and that several days after our meeting he had extended interactions with another individual who has also tested positive.”
Cruz isolated himself last week after coming into contact with someone who later tested positive for COVID-19 during the Conservative Political Action Conference last month in Maryland.
8:21 a.m. A Houston economist is warning the new coronavirus could really make the local economy sick.
“What happens if we send everyone home?” said Bill Gilmer, director of the Institute for Regional Forecasting at the University of Houston’s Bauer College of Business. “We know if we have a hurricane what it does to employment.”
The region lost about 15,000 jobs in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, he told the Chronicle’s Erin Douglas. In a worst case scenario of emergency social distancing responses to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the name given to the new coronavirus, the job losses could be of a similar magnitude, he said.
A flood of temporary closures were announced on Thursday — from local school districts, to universities, to concert halls to the courts.
7:40 a.m. Austin city officials have confirmed two presumptive cases of the coronavirus, leading to the closure of local schools, including the University of Texas. These are the first cases to be confirmed in the area, officials said in a statement. Both cases are suspected of originating outside the area, meaning no evidence of community spread.
“This is concerning but not surprising and we have been prepared for the arrival of COVID-19 in our area,” said Dr. Mark Escott, Austin-Travis County Interim Medical Authority, in a statement. “It is critical that the community continue to heed our recommendations and take personal hygiene seriously. This will be the key to ensuring that this virus doesn’t spread.”
Austin officials stressed the need for good hygiene habits and limited exposure to contain the virus, just as officials in the Houston area did. There are 18 cases as of Thursday night.
7:26 a.m. A deal could be done as early as today on some form of coronavirus aid package to reassure anxious Americans by providing sick pay, free testing and other resources, hoping to calm teetering financial markets amid the mounting crisis, according to AP.
“We have — are near — to an agreement,” Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said, emerging from her office at the Capitol shortly before 9 p.m. Thursday.
7:20 a.m. School closings because of the new coronavirus continue to spread, with UT officials early Friday saying “we now believe it is in the best interest of the campus community to close operations. We will provide additional information in the coming days.”
UPDATE: UT Austin will be closing operations and cancelling classes today, Fri. March 13. DISREGARD EARLIER MESSAGING. Essential personnel only should work today. Given the rapidly evolving situation, we now believe it is in the best interest of the campus community to close. pic.twitter.com/RBXbZu5BXT
— UT Austin (@UTAustin) March 13, 2020
The closing follows many other in the Houston area and around Texas. For parents, the closure of elementary and middle schools poses a new set of obstacles, writes Chronicle reporters Shelby Webb and Jacob Carpenter.
More than 20 local school districts — including Houston, Cypress-Fairbanks, Katy, Fort Bend, Humble and Aldine ISDs — announced they would be closing next week to help slow the spread of the new coronavirus.
The closures vary in length, with some announced just for next week and Houston ISD remaining closed until March 31. Those could be extended if circumstances change.
As 8-year-old Brevon Dorsey walked out of Spring Branch Elementary School with his three siblings Thursday, he told his father Brodrick that teachers said they might have to shutdown the school.
Brodrick Dorsey shook his head.
He works for a health care provider and said he thinks he will be slammed at work for the foreseeable future. Now, he worries he will have to cut back on his hours to watch his four kids if Spring Branch ISD is closed for long. As of Thursday, the district said it would only close Friday and for its regular spring break, which begins on Monday.
“That’d be less money for me to pay my bills,” Dorsey said. “As a single parent I can’t afford to lose anything. I can’t afford childcare, I don’t know what I would do. Maybe just home school them the best we can.”
This live blog will be updated throughout the day. Check back here and on HoustonChronicle.com‘s coronavirus landing page to stay up-to-date with all the latest news and analysis.
