Mayor Jeff Cheney, Frisco Fire Chief Mark Piland and other city leaders updated residents on COVID-19 and Frisco’s reopening plan at a June 1 town hall meeting.
Testing
In conjunction with Collin County, Piland said residents can register in advance for mobile testing at Toyota Stadium June 4 beginning at 10 a.m.
“It’s a PCR test, which is the nasal swab test,” Piland said.
This comes after Frisco Fire oversaw virus testing of residents and staff at local nursing homes as part of a statewide effort. As of June 1, Piland said 80% of nursing homes in Texas have been tested for COVID-19 and that the state predicts testing will be completed by the end of the week.
Piland said the department is waiting on additional guidance from Gov. Greg Abbott on more testing.
“We believe there could be an opportunity the governor might want assisted-living centers tested as well,” he said.
As the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 per day fluctuate, Cheney said finding positive tests is ultimately beneficial to the city.
“That’s the goal of this testing is so that we can find the positives in this community so we can give them the care they need and also quarantine [them] so they don’t transmit it,” he said.
Reports of positive COVID-19 cases could appear higher as a result of criteria changes by the state health department, Piland said. Initially, a positive polymerase chain reaction test, or PCR test, was the sole criterion for testing positive for the virus, he said.
“Now, you can have a combination of one or two symptoms, and you’re considered presumptive positive, which they actually now count as a positive person,” Piland said.
Reopening Frisco
Many residents called into the town hall meeting to get status updates on the reopening of city facilities and businesses.
As of May 31, youth camps, adult recreation leagues, youth sports and professional sports were permitted to reopen in Frisco at differing levels, said Ron Patterson, president of the Frisco Economic Development Corp., at the meeting.
While some of them have remained closed, Cheney said public pools in Frisco are allowed to be open.
“Some HOAs or other private entities may choose a policy to keep them closed, but they do have the authority to open them,” he said.
Parks & Recreation Director Shannon Coates said the Frisco Water Park is looking toward a July opening. The water park faced staffing issues during the pandemic, she said, but 40 lifeguards began training June 1, she said.
The governor will likely provide another reopening update for the state June 3, Cheney said.
“Expect the city and the state to substantially reopen here in the coming weeks,” he said.