Area judge warns stronger Covid restrictions could return
COVID-19 hospitalizations in East Texas dipped below a threshold Thursday that would have rolled back coronavirus-related restrictions, but Gregg County Judge Bill Stoudt says it may be a matter of when, and not if, the region crosses that barrier.
Stoudt said he urges residents to remember the basic COVID-19 precautions, such as wearing face masks and social distancing, that officials have been encouraging since February if the rate is to remain below the threshold.
“It’s December now, and we started dealing with this in February. The message is still the same: Social distance, wear a face mask, maintain hygiene, stay out of crowds,” Stoudt said Thursday. “We’re getting close. There’s a light at the end of the tunnel. It’s not a train coming at us any more; it’s a support in the form of a vaccine, but it’s going to slowly roll out. Now, we’ve got to do everything we can to minimize the surge because it’s coming.”
This week, the region experienced four consecutive days in which COVID-19 hospitalizations exceeded 15% of hospital capacity.
If COVID-19 hospitalizations remain above 15% of hospital capacity for seven consecutive days, then a 19-county region that includes Gregg, Upshur, Rusk, Harrison, Panola, Marion and Smith counties will be subjected to additional mandates set forth by Gov. Greg Abbott. The East Texas region extends from Van Zandt and Henderson counties in the west to Harrison and Panola counties in the east and from Franklin County in the north to Trinity County in the south.
Stoudt said he hopes the region does not reach seven consecutive days above the threshold, but if it does, he wants residents and business owners to be prepared and understand what it means for them. If the area reaches that mark, orders from Abbott’s office say that elective procedures must halt at hospitals, bars must close and business again must reduce their capacity.
“I want the public to understand, we are still in this war,” Stoudt said. “We have the troops coming with a vaccine that is starting to slowly roll out, but that will be a six-month process at least. We’ve got to do everything in our power to try and continue to mitigate the spread of this virus.”
Trauma Service Areas and hospitalizations
In Texas, the state’s 254 counties are divided into 22 regional Trauma Service Areas. Each service area is managed by a Regional Advisory Council made up of health care providers, elected officials and community leaders.
Gregg County is in Trauma Service Area G, along with 18 other counties. Other counties in the service area are Anderson, Camp, Cherokee, Franklin, Freestone, Harrison, Henderson, Houston, Marion, Panola, Rains, Rusk, Shelby, Smith, Trinity, Upshur, Van Zandt and Wood.
In Trauma Service Area G, there are 2,815 total staffed hospital beds among all of the counties, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. On Thursday, COVID-19 patients occupied 14.91% of available hospital beds in the region, according to the state.
According to Abbott’s executive orders, when the percentage of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 meets or exceeds 15% of the total hospital capacity for the Trauma Service Area for seven consecutive days, the entire region becomes subjected to additional restrictions.
This week, Trauma Service Area G experienced four consecutive days in which hospitalizations exceeded the 15% threshold, according to data from the Texas Department of State Health Services. The data shows that on Sunday, the rate was 15.2% for the region; on Monday, it was 15.78%; on Tuesday, it was 16.3%; and on Wednesday, it was 16.66%.
However, Stoudt said, one day in which the rate is less than 15% breaks the cycle. So, on Thursday when the rate dipped to 14.91%, it stopped the current cycle, meaning the additional restrictions were not triggered.
Rusk County Judge Joel Hale said Thursday he is hopeful the region remains below the threshold and that additional restrictions will not be mandated by the governor’s office.
“We are hoping that this does not have to occur, but if it does, we have consistently tried to follow the governor’s recommendations in Rusk County and we will continue to do so,” Hale said.
Stoudt said that if the region is forced to implement additional restrictions in the future, it will be notified by the state.
Restrictions
Under those new restrictions, Abbott’s orders state that hospitals in the region would be required to suspend elective procedures; bars and other establishments with 51% alcohol sales must close; and businesses must drop from 75% capacity to 50% capacity. That includes restaurants, retail shops, gyms and other indoor facilities.
There continue to be no restrictions for certain facilities such as schools, child care services and churches, according to the governor’s orders.
“We believe it’s not a matter of if this is going to happen, it’s a matter of when this is going to happen. We’re trying to determine the timeline,” Stoudt said. “I would encourage all of the businesses and the folks who will be affected by this to start thinking about it and preparing for it.”
Should the orders go into effect, they will apply to every county in the region as well as to every city within each county.
Longview Mayor Andy Mack said that if the order comes from the state to the region, he is prepared for it to be implemented within the city.
“We will do what we are required to do,” Mack said. “We will follow the judge’s lead because we reside in Gregg County and we know that he will follow what the state advises him to do.”
Smith County Judge Nathaniel Moran called the rise in hospitalizations throughout the region an indicator that there’s a need to “buckle down.” He encouraged East Texans to stay home when sick, wear face masks, practice social distancing and hand washing and taking the necessary precautions to reduce spread of the virus.
Moran said he and others don’t want to see the spread worsen or for business capacity to take a downward turn. He noted that business owners have been resilient throughout the pandemic and have worked to find innovative yet safe ways to conduct business while facing restrictions.
“On the whole, our business community has done a great job,” Moran said.
Harrison County Judge Chad Sims said the lower rate of new positive cases is encouraging but echoed the sentiments that residents must continue to be diligent.
“The health of both the individuals and our businesses are important,” Sims said. “We need everyone’s help to keep the numbers down and our businesses open with as much capacity as possible.”
Several county judges said reducing hospitalizations and spread of the coronavirus relies on the public making safe choices.
“Prevention and behavior are what’s going to impact this disease,” Hale said. “People really need to take this virus seriously.”
Stoudt said as families make their Christmas and New Year’s plans, he would encourage them to consider not having large family gatherings.
“It’s going to be hard, but people just need to remind themselves that they’re doing what’s best for their family,” Stoudt said. “We’re coming to a critical period. Everything is coming at the same time. The vaccine’s coming into the market, Christmas and New Year’s are coming up, the surges are taking place at the same time. We are still in this battle. People don’t need to drop their guard.”
— Tyler Morning Telegraph staff writer Zak Wellerman and Marshall News Messenger Editor Wyndi Veigel contributed to this report.