Crystal Wise
It's not an official mandate to go on lockdown, but with COVID-19 cases on the rise once again, the City of Fort Worth and Tarrant County are urging residents to stay home and drastically limit social interactions.
“We’re telling everyone the increasing number of COVID cases aren’t good,” Brandon Bennett, public health director for the City of Fort Worth, said in a statement. “We must be purposeful and immediate to take action and urge everyone to stay at home as much as possible.”
The city's stay-at-home request comes just days after Tarrant County issued a public health warning, as COVID-19 patients now make up more than 15% of the county's hospitalizations.
Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price and her husband also tested positive for COVID-19 this week. Both are experiencing mild symptoms and currently quarantining.
According to Bennett, the city has been seeing about 1,500 cases over the past 10 days and 2,100 in a single day this week. The city projects a daily volume of almost 3,000 cases by December.
“While we are well-prepared for these increases in terms of personal protection equipment, mitigation strategies, and working from home, medical and hospital resources are limited, and we should expect to see some tightening of occupancy limits at higher-risk establishments and activities such as food service, bars, entertainment venues, and the like,” Bennett said.
