Resolution No. 20-05, Amending the Declaration of Disaster
At the April 1, 2020 Granbury City Council Emergency Meeting, the City Council voted unanimously in favor of Resolution No. 20-05, amending Resolution No. 20-04 to reconcile the City Emergency Declaration with the gubernatorial Executive Order GA-14.
In addition to Executive Order GA-14, the Office of the Attorney General and the Office of the Governor issued Guidance for Houses of Worship During the COVID-19 Crisis to answer questions about guidelines for faith-based gatherings.
Hood County Health Authority Update
At the meeting, Dr. David "Hoss" Blocker, MD, MPH, Hood County Public Health Authority and City of Granbury Medical Advisor, provided City Council with an update on the state of the public health crisis.
On hospitals, Dr. Blocker noted that, “If we just look what we are available to provide here in Granbury, Lake Granbury Medical Center has 32 non-critical care beds, has 12 critical care beds, and a total of nine respirators. Those aren’t just necessary for COVID-19 infectious disease patients, they are also used for other people that might require that support, and almost every one of those are in daily use right now for the patients that they have. So, that is a major concern of mine when it has to do with how quickly this disease spreads in our community and, more importantly, how closely every individual follows those social distancing measures and limits exposure and spread.”
Additionally, he encouraged the community to abide by all public health social distancing recommendations, stating that, “When we look at the numbers for a community of this size, this can be the difference between over 20,000 people in our community with this illness or 1,600.”
Watch all of Dr. Blocker’s comments at the meeting here.
Declaration of Disaster Restrictions
To be clear, the City of Granbury still remains under the restrictions of the Declaration of Disaster, which includes, among other restrictions the following (Please see the full declaration for all restrictions.):
- Individuals are to stay at home. However, individuals may leave their residences for essential travel, essential activities, or to provide or perform essential governmental functions, or to operate essential businesses. This includes traveling to work at an essential business, traveling for the health of yourself or another person, leaving to get food and supplies, or getting outside to exercise.
- To the extent individuals are using shared or outdoor spaces, they must maintain social distancing of at least 6 feet from any other person. This does not require a household or living unit to social distance when at home.
- Essential businesses such as grocery stores, pharmacies and other establishments that sell household goods will remain open but must enforce social distancing. A list of essential and non-essential businesses is in the declaration.
- In-house dining at restaurants is prohibited. Restaurants with or without drive-in or drive-through services; drive-in restaurants; drive-through restaurants; liquor stores; and microbreweries, micro-distilleries, or wineries may only provide take out, delivery, or drive-in or drive-through services, as allowed by law.
- All businesses operating within the City of Granbury, except essential businesses, are required to close to the public.
Update Regarding COVID-19 Cases in Hood County
One hundred and thirty-one Hood County residents have now been tested for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), with eight confirmed positive cases. Two of the eight are currently hospitalized in critical but stable condition.
Where did these people contract COVID-19?
Four people are believed to have contracted the highly contagious virus from travel, two from work contacts in Dallas-Fort Worth area, and the other two contracted the illness from infected family members.
Two cases are currently hospitalized under isolation. The other COVID-19 positive patients and their close family members remain isolated at home in accordance with public health guidelines.
As of 5:00 p.m. on April 1, 131 total COVID-19 tests have been reported for Hood County residents, with eight positive cases, 78 negative, and 45 pending laboratory confirmation.
Stay Aware and Stay Informed
Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) website and Texas 2-1-1 remain the best sources of information for Hood County residents regarding COVID-19 testing and self-protection measures. DSHS updates its county-by-county tracking map daily at https://dshs.texas.gov/coronavirus/.
Both the Hood County and City of Granbury websites have the latest guidance on social distancing and public health emergency measures enacted to protect our local communities. For updates and information about City services during this time, visit www.granbury.org/covid19.
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