Coronavirus Update: July 16th, 2020

By The Numbers:
Statistics are current as July 16th, 1:30 pm CT  

  • In Texas, 2,924,288 people have been tested, resulting in 282,365 cases and 3,322 deaths, as reported by the Texas Department of State Health Services. There are an estimated 129,657 active cases in our state, and an estimated 149,276 coronavirus patients in Texas have successfully recovered.  
    • Tarrant County has at least 19,104 confirmed cases, the third-highest number of cases among Texas counties; Parker County has 665; and Wise County has 210. 
  • In the United States, there are at least 3,483,832 cases and 136,938 deaths, as reported by the CDC.

Need to Know:
  • Governor Abbott extends Texas’ disaster declaration: On Friday, July 10th, Governor Abbott extended the Disaster Declaration across all Texas counties to continue our state’s aggressive measures in corralling the coronavirus. The disaster declaration, originally issued on March 13th, mobilizes our state’s resources and allows our state and local agencies to suspend any regulations that would hamper coronavirus response and recovery efforts. 
    • This week, Governor Abbott also announced that the time schools are allowed to stay online-only will be extended, with the timeline to be finalized by the Governor’s Office in the coming days. Meanwhile, local school districts, including in Texas 12, continue to deliberate about what students coming back to fall classes could look like.
  • A new loan option for Fort Worth minority-owned small businesses: This week, the Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce announced a new Emergency Economic Relief Microgrant Program to assist minority-owned small businesses that have been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. Eligible minority-owned small businesses in Tarrant County with less than 25 employees may receive up to $2,500. Click here to apply by Friday, July 24th.
    • The Paycheck Protection Program’s application deadline has also been extended to August 8th. Thanks to the PPP, over 200,000 of our friends and neighbors in Tarrant County alone have been able to keep their jobs, and at least 4,000 small businesses in Tarrant County received forgivable loans of $150,000 or more. ICYMI, read this local news story to learn more about the businesses in our community that have been helped by PPP loans. Apply for a PPP loan here.
  • An innovative new way to locate a testing center and more: The Fort Worth developers of a smartphone application, “Chibo,” have reconfigured the app to help its users find job opportunities, as well as testing centers for the coronavirus. The free app currently features hundreds of job listings, as well as information about available testing centers and blood drives in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and beyond. Learn more here.