Omar E. Zapata | THE RIDER
During a Facebook Live broadcast Thursday, Hidalgo County Judge Richard F. Cortez detailed the extended shelter order, trends seen in COVID-19 test results and hospitalizations in the county.
The shelter-at-home order, which was issued from July 22 to Aug. 6, has been extended to Aug. 19.
“All individuals currently living within Hidalgo County, Texas are ORDERED to SHELTER-AT-HOME in their residence, unless that individual is out for a medical emergency, for covered essential activities, essential travel, or any other purpose permitted under this Order,” the order states.
“What I am trying to do is very simple,” Cortez said. “This virus is transmitted from person to person. So, if we have physical separation from one another the chances of you getting infected is very low.”
The order also mandates residents to follow a curfew and to wear a facial covering in public.
A 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew is in place for all people 18 and over, and all minors must be accompanied by a parent or guardian if they are participating in essential activities.
In accordance with Gov. Greg Abbott’s executive order GA-29, every person in Hidalgo county must wear a face covering over their nose and mouth when in public.
Children under 10 years old and individuals with medical conditions or disabilities that prevent them from wearing a facial covering are exempt from the order.
Cortez said an issue is gatherings.
“We come from a culture where we like pachangas,” he said. “We like socializing … we like going to family gatherings. We need to stop that.”
A verbal or written warning is handed out for first time violations of the order. A person’s second violation and each subsequent violation will be punishable by a fee not to exceed $250.
Cortez also showcased various graphs and charts that detail COVID-19 trends in Hidalgo County.
The three cities with the most cases of COVID-19 are Edinburg, Mission and McAllen.
“The majority of people that are getting infected are really on the younger side,” he said during the Facebook Live.
While the younger population makes up the majority of positive cases, the elderly are the ones needing hospitalization and dying from COVID-19 he said.
The total number of hospitalized is 732 with 443 in hospital beds, 234 on ventilators and 289 in the ICU. There are a total of 112 available beds, 137 ventilators on standby and 67 ICU beds. This information is reported by local hospitals to Hidalgo County.
“If you want to see misery, go to any one of those hospitals and just hear the cries of people yelling but they can’t breathe,” Cortez said.
To view the order, visit https://www.hidalgocounty.us/DocumentCenter/View/40109/08052020-Hidalgo-County-Emergency-Order-20-012.
