Coronavirus in Texas 3/21: At least 325 cases reported in state; Gov. Greg Abbott moves to bolster number of practicing nurses
Our staff is closely tracking developments on the new coronavirus in Texas. Check here for live updates. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/0629b732255d6f8ba8352bf82a3fb3a8/Coronavirus%20Drive%20Thru%20Swabs%20REUTERS%20TT%2005.jpg)
-
![Medical staff from Riverside University Health collect nasal samples from members of the public that were referred for testing for the coronavirus at a drive-up site in Indian Wells, Calif., on. March 18, 2020.]()
Credit: Taya Gray/The Desert Sun via REUTERS -
"Unsupported and ignored": Texans stuck in Peru say their government abandoned them
Texans marooned there after the country closed its borders described a harrowing ordeal trying to find a plane ticket out. The U.S. government is trying to repatriate them. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/7ed50604f62e3962aa9b2074563d3fcc/Peru%20Airport%20Shutdown%20COVID%2019%20REUTERS%20TT.jpg)
![Sailors with the Peruvian Navy stand guard outside Jorge Chavez International Airport in Lima after the government closed the country's borders in response to the outbreak of coronavirus disease. March 17, 2020.]()
Credit: REUTERS/Sebastian Castaneda -
Patients face canceled appointments and delayed surgeries as doctors respond to coronavirus. They're worried about the wait.
On Friday, several major health care providers announced they would postpone elective surgeries and other non-urgent procedures and appointments. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/37091ff826300582e9bd624a1ed07afc/Austin%20Hospital%20Exteriors%20EG%20TT%2007.jpg)
![Exterior of St. David's Medical Center in Austin on March 19, 2020.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Small businesses in Texas can apply for emergency federal loans to help ride out coronavirus pandemic, Abbott announces
Texans can apply online to see if they qualify for a long-term, low-interest loan from the U.S. Small Business Administration. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/079b32be3713eb40fa63868c55f3803e/Austin%20COVID%20Quarantine%20JV%20TT%2014.jpg)
![Shuttered businesses on Sixth Street in Austin during the COVID-19 pandemic on March 19, 2020.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Texas restaurants are asking for tax relief from the state. But officials say they need those revenues during the pandemic.
Restaurant owners say that delaying sales tax payments could help them ride out the pandemic. State officials, however, say that those revenues help keep hospitals and emergency services running. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/cdb748e2ad71b44b74b367b68e34a6ea/Austin%20COVID%20Quarantine%20JV%20TT%2018.jpg)
![Caffe Medici, one of Austin's Oldest coffee shops, was forced to permanantly close one of its five locations and layoff 27 employees as the business attempts to stay afloat in the wake of the global economic crash from the COVID-19. March 19, 2020.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Coronavirus in Texas 3/20: More than 5,000 tests given, 212 test positive
Our staff is closely tracking developments on the new coronavirus in Texas. Check here for live updates. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/5996926481b081180ed42fe204d68501/Coronavirus%20Masks%20REUTERS%20TT%2001.jpg)
![Staff nurse Lt. Gretta Walter awaits the arrival of coronavirus test patients in the emergency room at Fort Belvoir Community Hospital in Fort Belvoir, Virginia on March 18, 2020.]()
Credit: REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque -
Coronavirus testing ramps up in Texas, but more is needed
Experts said the state’s testing capability wasn’t where it needed to be to measure how effective efforts to contain the virus have been or where the outbreak is on its trajectory toward peaking. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/8594e2cd687b084568e43f95d478d66e/Drive%20Thru%20COVID%2019%20JV%20TT%2014.jpg)
![Doctors wearing protective clothing and masks exit the Baylor Scott and White facility in Round Rock to administer a COVID-19 test to a patient waiting in their car.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Texas regulators contemplating a reduction in oil production amid coronavirus crisis
A Texas Railroad Commission official said no decision has been made yet and the agency is looking into options. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/TxTrib-Drilling-042.jpg)
![A worker waits to load a piece of pipe, or casing, that will be lowered into the well at a Chesapeake Energy drill site in Dimmit County on the Eagle Ford Shale.]()
Credit: Tamir Kalifa for The Texas Tribune -
Houston has a new drive-through coronavirus test site, but three others can't open due to shortages
Mayor Sylvester Turner said a lack of personal protective equipment for health workers is one reason three sites in Houston and Harris County can't open yet. Long lines formed at the one that did. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/ba0d0ad6aeaf587884f2db873a2324c8/02%20Houston%20Skyline%20MG.jpg)
![The Houston skyline on Dec. 17, 2018.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Gov. Greg Abbott closes bars, restaurants and schools as he anticipates tens of thousands could test positive for coronavirus
Abbott disclosed that estimate hours after he took sweeping action to stop the virus' spread. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/859aae01262556d1a8bc38d209241e2d/Abbott%20Statewide%20Emergency%20EG%20TT%2016.jpg)
![Gov. Greg Abbott declares a statewide emergency amid new cases of COVID-19 in the state on March 13, 2020 at the state capitol.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Houston-area nursing home resident and Dallas man in his 60s die from coronavirus
There were a total of five reported deaths in Texas related to COVID-19 as of Thursday. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/698b553af01b332ca37914ded990dd6f/Coronavirus%20Lab%20Test%20REUTERS%20TT%2003.jpg)
![A medical technologist prepares the reagent used in the collection to help determine if a person would test negative or positive for the Coronavirus.]()
Credit: Eric Seals/REUTERS -
Watch Gov. Greg Abbott give an update on Texas' efforts to combat coronavirus
Watch a livestream of the Texas governor discussing everything the state is doing to limit the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus. The address is scheduled to start at noon Central Time. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/f82fa8a9a1b4a4b74c653918c61810d7/Abbott%20Mobilizes%20National%20Guard%20JV%20TT%2005.jpg)
![Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announces the activation of the Texas National Guard in response the COVID-19 pandemic. The announcement was made from the Governor's Conference Room in the Texas Department of Emergency Management Command Center. Abbott was joined by Chief Nim Kidd, head of the Texas Division of Emergency Management.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar/POOL via The Texas Tribune -
Texas Court of Criminal Appeals stops another scheduled execution because of the coronavirus
Tracy Beatty requested the court stay his execution, set for next week, after the court halted this week's execution. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/c7909d9ee76c62f9ff230f269e7e3ed3/Tracy%20Beatty%20Recent%20TDCJ%20TT.jpg)
![Tracy Beatty's execution was halted because of coronavirus.]()
Credit: Texas Department of Criminal Justice -
Coronavirus in Texas 3/19: Supreme Court halts evictions statewide
Our staff is closely tracking developments on the new coronavirus in Texas. Check here for live updates. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/ea833fa057e0aeb69e331a7af85ba270/Coronavirus%20hand%20washing%20REUTERS%20TT.jpg)
![A sign for washing hands is seen during a news media tour of quarantine facilities for treating novel coronavirus at Jewish General Hospital in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on March 2, 2020.]()
Credit: REUTERS/Christinne Muschi -
Texas is urging patients to seek remote health care. Some insurance plans won't pay for it.
As millions of Texans isolate themselves in an attempt to limit the spread of COVID-19, state officials are working to ramp up the use of telemedicine. But many health plans are outside of their regulatory authority. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/2089eb77a204e1760c898f86a73fca16/Telemedicine%20Healthcare%20EG%2007.jpg)
![Julien Gomez's insurance won't cover the move to online therapy sessions, unable to practice social distancing during the COVID-19 outbreak.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
"It's going to hurt": New coronavirus shocks Texas economy as length of public health crisis remains unknown
The novel coronavirus has caught governments unprepared, put people out of work and set businesses on the brink of closure. Congress is working on a federal stimulus package as unemployment claims in Texas are expected to rise. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/64f9ba626b536996110b2bb0c8d3bc72/Stock%20Market%20Economy%20REUTERS%20TT.jpg)
![A screen at the New York Stock Exchange shows the day's numbers as markets continue to react to the coronavirus disease on March 18, 2020.]()
Credit: REUTERS/Lucas Jackson -
ICE to stop most immigration enforcement inside United States, will focus on criminals during coronavirus outbreak
The shift comes amid the deepening global coronavirus crisis. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/98e5ae7bb7081d2ad96d215bacdf4687/04%20ICE%20TT.jpg)
![U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) officers execute criminal search warrants and arrest more than 100 company employees on federal immigration violations at a trailer manufacturing business in Sumner on August 28, 2018.]()
Credit: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement/Handout via REUTERS -
Texas universities ramp up online teaching amid coronavirus pandemic
Professors and instructors are polishing their technical skills — with a little trepidation among technological Luddites — as Texas colleges move courses online. The transition is marked by uncertainty, including over how courses like labs and art can be taught virtually. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/d44d8090b2aef75fd363c43a2a9590da/UT%20Anne%20Lewis%20Video%20Remote%20Class%20MG%20TT.jpg)
![Univesity of Texas at Austin Lecturer, Anne Lewis, describes how she will remotely teach her video editing class during the COVID-19 outbreak. March 18, 2020.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Texas lets school districts decide whether students can graduate without STAAR
The state standardized test, taken in third through 12th grade, determines whether students can graduate or move on to the next grade and whether schools can stay open. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/490cffb755af85c90b24f92bd05c06e0/STAAR%20PYH%20TT%2001.jpg)
![STAAR themed decorations adorn the hallways of Wharton Elementary School in Wharton on April 21, 2018.]()
Credit: Pu Ying Huang for The Texas Tribune -
What we know about coronavirus testing in Texas
Even as demand for testing has increased, public and federal labs continue to prioritize Texans who meet certain criteria. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/0f89d48112432521413f440743b979fb/Drive%20Thru%20COVID%2019%20JV%20TT%2016.jpg)
![A doctor wearing protective clothing administers a test to patient at a drive-thru Covid19 testing facility at Baylor, Scott and White Medical Center in Round Rock, TX.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune