Learn
about the impact COVID-19 has had on Irving businesses, public education and
more.
By Sarah
Bahari 12:51 PM on Mar 16, 2020 — Updated at 5:33 PM on Nov 23,
2020
Editor’s note: This
story will be updated periodically with details that apply to the Irving
community. Updated at 9:30 a.m. Dec.
10 with Irving and Dallas County cases and deaths.
Cases of COVID-19 climbed to 13,163 in Irving, making it the
hardest-hit city in Dallas County behind Dallas itself, according to the Dallas
County Health Department.
The city has an additional 946 probable cases. Dallas County
counts probable cases separately and does not include them in its confirmed
case totals.
In total, 82 Irving residents have died from this virus,
including a man in his 20s with a pre-existing condition who died this week.
City Hall
City Hall reopened its customer service, a couple
weeks after closing due to the rising number of coronavirus cases.
The city is now using a temperature kiosk to conduct
temperature checks for visitors on the first floor of City Hall, 825 W. Irving
Blvd. The machine will print a sticker when visitors are cleared to proceed,
and the sticker should be worn visibly.
Utility bills can be paid online or
by calling 972-721-3744. Residents also can pay them at any Ace Cash Express,
Fiesta Mart grocery store or Western Union Union in Irving.
For questions related to the city, call City Call Customer
Service at 972-721-2411.
Dallas County
Dallas County has reported 138,233 confirmed cases and
14,055 probable cases. The county has recorded 1,275 confirmed COVID-19 deaths
and 42 deaths probably caused by the disease.
“The deaths we report today are a direct correlation to the
high number of cases reported several weeks ago,” County Judge Clay Jenkins
said in a written statement. “The decisions that we make today will determine
how many cases are confirmed in seven to 14 days, how many hospitalizations we
have three weeks from now and how many deaths we report at this time next
month.”
Health officials use hospitalizations, intensive-care
admissions and emergency room visits as key metrics to track the real-time
impact of COVID-19 in the county. In the 24-hour period that ended Tuesday, 758
COVID-19 patients were in acute care in hospitals in the county. During the
same period, 576 ER visits were for symptoms of the disease.
Capacity at businesses in the state hospital region that
includes Irving remains at 50%, as COVID-19 hospitalizations accounted for
15.88% of North Texas hospital beds Wednesday — topping Gov. Greg Abbott’s 15%
threshold.
Across the state, 10,930 more cases and 273 COVID-19 deaths
were reported Wednesday. Texas has now reported 1,283,674 confirmed cases and
23,081 fatalities.
There are 9,053 COVID-19 patients in Texas hospitals,
including 2,542 in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
The seven-day average positivity rate statewide, based on
the date of test specimen collection, was 12.8% as of Tuesday. State health
officials have said using data based on when people were tested provides the
most accurate positivity rate.
The state also provides a positivity rate based on when lab
results were reported to the state; that rate stood at 13.3% as of Tuesday.
Dallas County’s case counts for Irving are updated Tuesday and Friday.
Schools
Since Aug. 10, when staff reported to work, Irving ISD has reported 547 COVID-19
cases. Of those, 94 are active and the rest have recovered.
Irving ISD recently denied requests from 150 staff members
to work from home, citing a teacher shortage amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Irving ISD spokeswoman Nicole Mansell said the district is
trying to balance providing a quality education to students with protecting the
health and safety of employees.
Every six weeks, families can choose whether to attend
school in person or virtually. The number of in-person students increased “at a
rapid rate,” Mansell said, with nearly 15,000 students, or 46%, attending
campuses.
Businesses
The city of Irving expanded a program aimed at helping small
businesses that have suffered financially from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Independently owned
franchises are now eligible to apply, as well as sole
proprietors and home-based business owners. Businesses can receive up to $50,000
in forgivable loans.
Testing
A new walk-up COVID-19 testing site is now open.
Parkland Health & Hospital System has partnered with
Dallas County Health and Human Services and the city of Dallas to open the site
at Parkland’s Irving Health Center, 1800 N.
Britain Road.
Hours for the new site will be 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday
through Friday, or until the site reaches capacity each day. Reservations are
not required, and results are expected within 48 to 72 hours.
Patients must live in Dallas County and show verification of
address, such as a utility bill or government-issued ID.
First responders, DART drivers and healthcare workers can
receive a test regardless of where they live if they work in Dallas County.
They must provide a valid work ID.
Test recipients must be at least 5 years old.
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