April 30, 2020
Governor Greg Abbott has decided to allow the State’s stay-at-home orders to expire today, making way for businesses to reopen with certain restrictions starting tomorrow, May 1, 2020. This new order will allow businesses like retail stores, malls, restaurants and theaters to reopen Friday, but limits occupancy to 25%. The order will also allow libraries and museums to open. He noted that he wants barbershops, salons, gyms and bars open as soon as possible and expects them to open no later than mid-May.
All of this comes as Tarrant County reports 98 new cases of COVID-19 infection and seven new deaths just this week, according to Vinny Taneja, Director of Tarrant County Public Health Department. That brings the total number of cases in Tarrant County to 2,247. Despite the infection rate, Governor Abbott promises to “open in a way that uses safe standards […] based upon data and doctors.” The Governor went on to say, “Now more than ever, Texans must remain committed to safe distancing practices that reduce the spread of Covid-19, and we must continue to rely on doctors and data to provide us with the safest strategies to restore Texans’ livelihoods.”
What does this mean for Meals On Wheels and our meal-delivery procedures? It basically means that we need to keep practicing the good habits that we’ve developed over the past two months. Governor Abbott even pointed this out when he went on to say, “We must also focus on protecting the most vulnerable Texans from exposure to Covid-19.” Elderly people and those with underlying health issues continue to be at high risk of infection. As more and more people begin to move about the community, all of us are at increased risk, especially from those who refuse to wear masks and maintain a safe distance of 6’ from others. Keep in mind that you don’t have to be exhibiting symptoms of the virus in order to spread it to others.
The health and safety of our clients, volunteers and staff members is our highest priority, so now more than ever we encourage you to be vigilant is your efforts to control the spread of COVID-19. Please continue to:
- Wear face masks
- Wash your hands with soap and water often and use a hand sanitizer before and after each meal delivery
- Maintain a distance of 6’ from others
- Continue the policy of not entering a client’s home
We continue to be in regular communication with our elected officials and Public Health Department. They all urge us to proceed with caution as we try to reopen our community for business. We will continue to keep you updated with the latest information.
Again, THANK YOU for taking such good care of our clients.