The request comes as the county has used low-level offenders from the county jail to help transport bodies and as officials await a response from the Texas National Guard.
Coronavirus in Texas
As the coronavirus spread across the state, The Texas Tribune covered the most important health, economic, academic and breaking developments that affected Texans. Our map tracker showed the number of cases, deaths, tests and vaccinations in Texas from 2020-22.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Gov. Greg Abbott reiterates Texas will not shut down again while touting arrival of new coronavirus treatment
Abbott’s news conference came the same day that Texas reported more daily new cases than ever before — 12,293 — easily surpassing the previous record of 10,823 two days earlier.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Fleeing their home state’s strict restrictions on sports, New Mexico basketball teams seek refuge in two of Texas’ worst hot spots
The two teams will move to Lubbock and Amarillo, which are in counties with some of the highest rates of COVID-19 per 1,000 residents in the state.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Tarrant County sees record COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations as Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price tests positive
After the county’s hospitalization rate crept up over 15%, public health officials issued a public health warning to try and stop the spread of the coronavirus.
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Coronavirus in Texas
El Paso is fighting the coronavirus and state resistance as officials desperately try to keep up with sick and dying Texans
The county has turned to jail inmates to staff mobile morgues, and local officials say hospitals are nearing a point where they could have to ration care.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Coronavirus cases in Texas are soaring again. But this time Gov. Greg Abbott says no lockdown is coming.
The last time case numbers were this high, Abbott closed bars and urged Texans to avoid summer holiday gatherings. This time, he’s staying the course, relying on a 2-month-old blueprint to claw back reopenings regionally based on hospitalizations.
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Coronavirus in Texas
“Cancel gatherings, large and small”: Texas officials raise alarm ahead of Thanksgiving holiday
Health experts worry that increased travel and mingling over Thanksgiving and into the December holidays could exacerbate an already dangerous situation as COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are rising across Texas.
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Coronavirus in Texas
These Texans were rescued by the U.S. government after getting stranded in Peru. Now, the bills are arriving.
The U.S. State Department has sent letters to Americans rescued abroad during the pandemic asking for repayment for the repatriation flights and threatening to withhold tax refunds or social security payments if the debt goes unpaid for months.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Incarcerated Texans enlisted to work in county morgue as COVID-19 deaths overwhelm El Paso
The inmates working in the morgue will earn $2 an hour. They are low-level offenders that are part of the detention facility’s trustee program.
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Coronavirus in Texas
This immunocompromised student fears his own college town during the pandemic
In the weekend edition of The Brief podcast, hear from a student who says that because he’s immunocompromised, he’s worried that students aren’t taking the pandemic seriously when off campus, making him feel trapped in his home.