Fort Bend County elevates to level red
FORT BEND COUNTY, Texas - Fort Bend County announced on Tuesday that it is at level red, which is the highest community risk level. The last few weeks have yielded an exponential increase in COVID-19 cases, according to Fort Bend County Judge KP George.
“5015 positive cases, 1835 people recovered, and sadly we lost 63 lives.”
Positive cases more than doubled over the last month. County officials say it's due to a false sense of security people have.
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Level red for the county means strictly following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines of handwashing, wearing a mask, and social distancing.
Although it’s not mandatory, George offers this advice, “And I encourage people if you don’t need to go out, please don’t go out. You know, we have to go out for food, medicine, and if you work, you have to go out for work, but stay within that category. Because we cannot afford at this point to increase these numbers, and we want to manage it possibly without, we want to avoid a possible shutdown in Fort Bend County.”
Residents of Fort Bend County say they weren’t surprised that things are getting worse with the virus.
Noorali Habib tells FOX 26 that, “People are not really following the stay at home. Also, exercising actually by themselves is a good thing, but I think a lot of people are really, maybe getting tired of staying at home. So I think a lot more should be done, maybe a shut down again.”
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Max Young who was out waiting to eat dinner says, “Honestly, I think it’s best to stick to essential stuff. Probably just stay at home, stay safe, and minimize your contact, especially for high-risk people, and stuff like that. I think it’s best that you just stay home.”
Judge KP George stressed that the last thing he wants is a shut down, saying it would be devastating for the economy. He also mentioned that due to the increase of positive cases, the county is currently looking into alternative care sites for patients that need treatment.