Updated at 6:20 p.m. March 29
Collin County reported six new cases of the new coronavirus, including four that required hospitalization. None of the cases was from McKinney. Three cases were from Plano, two from Frisco and one from Celina.
As of late Sunday afternoon, 134 cases of the virus had been reported to Collin County health authorities. (One case that had previously been counted as a McKinney resident has been confirmed as a Dallas County resident and taken off Collin County's total, according to officials.)
Coming into the day, 41 people who tested positive for the new coronavirus in the county had recovered. Eleven were hospitalized, not including the four new hospitalizations reported March 29. The majority were in home isolation.
Cities remain under a variety of state and local orders restricting business activity and ordering residents to stay home except for essential activities.
Updated at 6:05 p.m. March 28
Collin County health officials reported 11 new cases of novel coronavirus March 28, including one hospitalization.
That brings the county's total to 129 total reported cases. Plano had the most of the newly reported cases in the county with four, followed by three residents in Dallas, two in McKinney and one each in Frisco and Lucas.
Meanwhile, McKinney Mayor George Fuller said he and County Judge Chris Hill are still working to resolve perceived inconsistencies in their orders to combat the new coronavirus. The talks began after a lawsuit was filed seeking a temporary restraining order against the city’s shelter-in-place policy. See the full story here.
Updated at 2:50 p.m. March 28
Collin County health officials have updated the March 27 tally to reflect 31 new cases with 11 of those being Plano residents. The county's total stands at 118 cases.
Updated 9 p.m. March 27
Collin County saw a nearly 37% rise Friday in the number of reported COVID-19 cases.
The county reported 32 new cases, bringing the county's total to 119 positive tests.
Plano had the largest share of the new cases. Twelve more of the city's residents were confirmed positive for the new coronavirus, bringing the city's total to 41.
McKinney and Frisco each had five new cases reported in Collin County. One Collin County case counted earlier this week was found to be a Dallas County resident, which dropped the earlier total by one, health officials reported.
Updated 10:30 a.m. March 27
Earlier this week, the city of McKinney issued a shelter-in-place order from March 26-April 1. During a March 27 emergency City Council meeting, the council decided to extend the order until April 3.
If the council feels the need to extend the order past April 3, the council will call another special meeting to do so at that time, McKinney Mayor George Fuller said during the meeting.
The city has also created a hotline and email address for residents to direct their questions or concerns related to the city’s order.
Residents can call 972-547-9000 or email [email protected] with their questions.
Four city employees will be working the hotline from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. on weekdays.
Health-related questions should still be directed to Collin County Health Care Services at 972-548-5500, according to the city.
In addition, 22 new cases of the coronavirus have been identified in Collin County, which brings the county’s total to 88 cases, according to health officials.
Here is the breakdown of those cases, according to the health report:
- an Allen male, 41, with no underlying health conditions, recovered;
- an Allen female, 70, with no underlying health conditions, isolating at home;
- a Dallas male, 55, with no underlying health conditions, isolating at home;
- a Frisco female, 51, with no underlying health conditions, isolating at home;
- a Frisco male, 40, with no underlying health conditions, isolating at home;
- a Frisco female, 34, with no underlying health conditions, recovered;
- a McKinney male, 32, with no underlying health conditions, isolating at home;
- a McKinney male, 28, with no underlying health conditions, isolating at home;
- a McKinney male, 47, with no underlying health conditions, isolating at home;
- a McKinney female, 62, with underlying health conditions, isolating at home;
- a Plano male, 52, with no underlying health conditions, isolating at home;
- a Plano female, 46, with no underlying health conditions, isolating at home;
- a Plano male, 21, with no underlying health conditions, isolating at home;
- a Plano female, 48, with no underlying health conditions, isolating at home;
- a Plano female, 32, with no underlying health conditions, isolating at home;
- a Plano female, 32, with no underlying health conditions, isolating at home;
- a Plano female, 68, with no underlying health conditions, hospitalized;
- a Plano female, 44, with no underlying health conditions, isolating at home;
- a Plano male, 41, with no underlying health conditions, isolating at home;
- a Plano female, 32, with no underlying health conditions, isolating at home;
- a Plano female, 73, with no underlying health conditions, isolating at home; and
- a Wylie male, 51, with no underlying health conditions, isolating at home.
Collin County health officials reported 13 new cases of coronavirus late on March 25, including three additional cases in McKinney.
The three new cases in McKinney—a 40-year-old man, a 65-year-old man and a 68-year-old woman—bring the county’s total confirmed cases to 66.
Of Collin County's new cases, two people are hospitalized; four have underlying health conditions; and seven have recently traveled, including one internationally.
Of the 66 cases, 15 people have successfully recovered; six are hospitalized; 44 are in home isolation; and one has died.
Here is the breakdown of the rest of those new cases, according to county health officials:
- a 40-year-old Frisco man
- a 72-year-old Frisco man
- a 40-year-old Plano woman;
- a 69-year-old Plano woman;
- a 41-year-old Wylie man;
- a 49-year-old Wylie man;
- an 18-year-old Richardson woman;
- a 69-year-old Dallas man;
- a 65-year-old Anna woman; and
- a 42-year-old Celina man.
At the county level, Collin County health officials reported eight new cases of the coronavirus March 24, including a 27-year-old McKinney man who had close contact with another confirmed case.
The new Collin County cases bring its total to 53 confirmed cases. Here is the breakdown of the rest of those new cases, according to county health officials:
- a 54-year-old man from Allen;
- a 63-year-old woman from Allen who had close contact with another confirmed case;
- a 61-year-old Allen woman who had close contact with another person with coronavirus;
- a 77-year-old Richardson woman with recent international travel;
- a 42-year-old Melissa man with underlying health conditions and recent domestic travel;
- a 35-year-old Melissa woman who recently went on domestic travel; and
- a 41-year-old Frisco man who has underlying health conditions and is self-isolating in his home.
McKinney City Council voted to postpone a recall election, originally scheduled for May 2, until Nov. 3.
The vote to postpone the election came during a March 24 council meeting and follows the state’s recommendations to delay elections to help reduce the spread of the coronavirus, according to City Attorney Mark Houser.
District 1 Council Member La’Shadion Shemwell, who is facing the recall election, will now have until November before voters decide if he remains in office.
During the March 24 meeting, the council also voted to renew the city’s disaster declaration to encompass a Collin County stay-at-home order that was issued earlier that day by County Judge Chris Hill.
McKinney Mayor George Fuller said he has plans to issue a new citywide order March 25, which will provide additional guidelines and clarifications on which businesses are deemed “necessary” to continue operating.
“I believe that judge Hill left the door open for cities to enact other provisions as they see fit, and I think that was for a reason,” Fuller said during the meeting. “But that will not be seen here in McKinney, doing nothing more than the county did.”
Updated 2:05 p.m. March 24
Collin County issued a stay-at-home order March 24 that takes effect immediately in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
The order will be in place for the next seven days, at which time an extension will be considered, according to Collin County Judge Chris Hill, who announced the details at a news conference at the county courthouse in McKinney.
The order states that all people are ordered to stay home, except for travel related to essential activities.
All businesses, jobs and workers are essential to the financial health and well-being of the local economy, according to Hill. Therefore, he said, they are essential to the financial health and well-being of Collin County residents.
“Persons who are employed need to stay employed,” Hill said. “Persons who lack employment need to gain employment. Businesses that are able to remain open need to remain open.”
Businesses are encouraged to take precautions to prevent the spread of coronavirus, Hill said. When asked by the media about businesses such as a clothing boutique or a bowling alley, Hill said those businesses may still operate if they follow the federal health guidelines for social distancing and gatherings of less than 10 people.
People will still be able to leave their homes for essential activities, including work, shopping and access to health care, Hill said during the press conference. Entertainment activities are not considered essential needs under the order.
In addition, people who are sick or experiencing common coronavirus symptoms, such as fever, cough, or shortness of breath, are ordered to stay home until they have not had a fever for at least 72 hours without the use of medicine and until at least 14 days have passed from the time when symptoms first appeared.
Also, If any person in a household has tested positive for the virus, all people in that household are ordered to stay home. Those people are not allowed to travel to work, school or any other function until cleared by a medical professional, according to the order.
Those at higher risk, including people age 65 or order, people in nursing homes or long-term care facilities, and those with other high-risk conditions, should stay home as long as the order remains in place, according to the county.
The city of McKinney has additional orders in place under its current disaster declaration adopted March 17. McKinney’s declaration orders restaurants and bars within the city to halt dine-in services over the next two weeks, starting March 20. The city’s order also called for gatherings of 10 or more people to be canceled until further notice.
McKinney City Council is set to meet March 24 at 4 p.m. to discuss amendments to its disaster declaration, which may include additional guidelines.
At this time, 45 confirmed cases of the virus had been identified in Collin County.
Hill said three of those cases have been hospitalized, eight have recovered and one has died. The others are in home isolation.
Originally posted 3 p.m. March 23
A day after Dallas County announced a stay-at-home order, Collin County officials are looking to implement their own version, according to McKinney Mayor George Fuller.
Fuller said McKinney, along with all other Collin County cities, will be announcing some form of a ‘shelter in place’ requirement Tuesday. The specifics of the order have not been released at this time.
“The safety of the community is our No. 1 priority,” Fuller said.
A press conference with details about the order will be held at 10 a.m. March 24 at the Collin County Courthouse, County Judge Chris Hill said during a March 23 commissioners court meeting.
On March 22, Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins issued an order that calls for all residents there to shelter in place beginning at 11:59 p.m. March 23 through April 3 to slow the spread of the virus.
People should refrain from leaving their homes, unless for gathering groceries or essential medical supplies, according to the order. Essential services such as health care work are exempt from the stay-at-home order.
Jenkins' order applies only to residents who live in Dallas County. He said during a news conference that he hopes his decision will influence some of the surrounding counties to take similar measures.
"There’s 2.7 million people in Dallas County, but there’s 7.6 million people in the metroplex,” Jenkins said. “This is going to spread across the state, and a month from now, ... nobody is going to be saying ‘Thank god I was able to go to work for one extra two weeks.’"
Coronavirus updates from before March 23 can be found at this link.
