Coronavirus in Texas

Abbott’s approach has helped keep the peace across levels of government handling the response in Texas but has also raised questions about whether he’s being aggressive enough in responding to a virus that threatens thousands of lives. Full Story 

Without broader statewide orders for Texans to stay at home, local officials — and local circumstances — have made the state a patchwork of responses to the new coronavirus. Full Story 

The North Texas county leads the state in the number of novel coronavirus cases and is marshaling resources as the need for medical response grows. Full Story 

The historic legislation, worth more than $2 trillion, heads to the U.S. House on Friday after the Senate passed it unanimously. Full Story 

With Gov. Greg Abbott resisting calls for a statewide stay-at-home order, local officials are tasked with deciding which businesses and employees are essential. This strategy means the rules differ from county to county, and many employees are confused about why they're being called in to work. Full Story 

Coaxing census participation was going to be hard enough in some of Texas' poorest communities. With coronavirus restrictions, organizers turned to driving sound trucks around colonias on the border, but now even that won't be possible. Full Story 

The Texas Public Utility Commission approved an order Thursday that would ban disconnections of water and power service for Texans financially impacted by COVID-19 and put them on deferred payment plans. But advocates and experts say the real winner might be utility providers. Full Story 

The order aligns Texas with federal guidance announced Wednesday that aims to contain the spread of the virus outside New York, which has become the epicenter of the outbreak in the United States. Full Story 

In fabric shops and on factory floors, the race is on to make and manufacture personal protective equipment in Texas before supplies run out for those on the front lines of the coronavirus outbreak. Full Story 

Abbott is set to provide an update on the state's response to the new coronavirus at 2 p.m. in Austin. He'll be joined by the commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services and the head of the Texas Division of Emergency Management. Full Story 

Two weeks ago, 16,176 Texans filed for new unemployment benefits. But just one week later — after leaders shut down businesses across the state to slow the spread of the new coronavirus — that number jumped up to 155,657 out-of-work people filing for unemployment relief. Full Story 

Our staff is closely tracking developments on the new coronavirus in Texas. Check here for live updates. Full Story 

With the runoff date pushed back seven weeks, the coronavirus pandemic continues to cast a long shadow over Texas politics. Full Story 

The Texas prison system and Dallas County both reported the first Texas cases of inmates testing positive for the new coronavirus this week. Self-quarantines and social distancing aren't always possible for those who've been exposed. Full Story 

About 60 detainees in the South Texas ICE Processing Center staged an uprising this week. Some detainees say fear of infection sparked the incident; Immigration and Customs Enforcement disputes that account. Full Story 

Attorney General Ken Paxton said this week that abortions should not be performed unless the mother's life is in danger, saying health care capacity needs to be preserved for COVID-19 patients. Full Story 

The efforts to quickly add capacity come after Gov. Greg Abbott waived hospitals’ occupancy restrictions Sunday and ordered health care providers to postpone surgeries that are not “immediately, medically necessary.” Full Story 

“’I will give you X number, you are to make these last for however long,’” a Panhandle hospital executive told one of his clinics when it sought more respirators. “We’ve got to ration these resources.” Full Story 

Our staff is closely tracking developments on the new coronavirus in Texas. Check here for live updates. Full Story 

Federal officials had previously approved a waiver allowing school districts to hand out curbside breakfasts and lunches to parents who show up. Now districts have more flexibility on how and what they feed students in free and reduced-price meals while schools are temporarily closed statewide. Full Story