Update 6 p.m. April 9
- Harris County reported 1,052 confirmed positive cases, including 20 deaths, outside the city of Houston as of 4 p.m. April 9.
- Fort Bend County reported 437 confirmed positive cases, including seven deaths, as of 8 a.m. April 9. Approximately 20% of these cases are in Precinct 3, which includes Fulshear and a portion of Katy.
- Waller County reported 13 confirmed positive cases as of 5:08 p.m. April 9. Three of these cases are in Katy.
Katy area
Here are five local churches offering virtual—and even drive-in—services for the Easter holiday.
Katy ISD
The district announced new dates for high school proms but plans to keep its graduation ceremonies in May. Just in case, though, it has secured backup dates for the ceremonies in June.
City of Katy
Mayor Bill Hastings published an Easter video message for residents urging social distancing practices.
Additionally, he said the city’s 42 employees that usually work in City Hall have been relocated throughout five other city buildings to keep them safe and practice social distancing.
Fort Bend County
The county has experienced a 25% increase in domestic violence cases from February to March, but there is concern that child abuse is still being underreported.
Waller County
The county’s 12th confirmed positive case—reported on April 8—is a Katy-area man in his 70s. Three of the county’s cases are in the Katy area, though two have recovered.
Harris County
The Harris County Homeless Outreach Team is working hard to spread awareness and provide essential supplies to the homeless populations during the coronavirus pandemic. However, many homeless individuals continue to congregate in encampments.
State
More Texans have filed for unemployment in the past three weeks than did in all of 2019. Data shows 313,832 Texans filed unemployment claims the week ending April 4.
Update 5:40 p.m. April 8
- Harris County reported 961 confirmed positive cases, including 19 deaths, outside the city of Houston as of 3:32 p.m. April 8.
- Fort Bend County reported 417 confirmed positive cases, including seven deaths, as of 5 p.m. April 7. Approximately 20% of these cases are in Precinct 3, which includes Fulshear and a portion of Katy.
- Waller County reported 11 confirmed positive cases as of 7:50 p.m. April 7. Two of these cases are in Katy.
City of Katy
The city announced it will not provide tree limb pickup during the month of April due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to a April 7 Facebook post.
“Republic Services will pick up brush less than 2 inches in diameter if it is tied in bundles, is no longer than 4 feet in length and must be less than 40 pounds in weight, provided they are placed at the residence curb on heavy trash collection day,” the post reads.
More information is available here.
Also, council will meet for its second special meeting of the week at 4 p.m. April 9. The agenda includes an item for designating a local health authority.
Residents can attend the meeting via teleconference by calling 888-475-4499 and enter the meeting ID 179 585 779. Alternatively, residents can attend the meeting via livestream by going to www.zoom.com, clicking “join a meeting” at the top right corner and putting in the following meeting ID: 179 585 779.
Fort Bend County
Commissioners court approved several grant applications at the April 7 meeting. If approved, the funds will help veterans pay bills and help households under quarantine and the elderly have enough toiletries.
Harris County
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo signed an order April 8 to temporarily close all parks countywide throughout the upcoming Easter weekend, April 10-13, in hopes of discouraging social gatherings. This closure includes roughly 16 in the Katy-area.
Additionally, Harris County launched a $10 million Small Business Economic Assistance Loan Program on April 7 to help small businesses on the road to recovery. Learn more about the program here.
Harris County is also in a "standoff" over proposed inmate release to curb coronavirus spread. Read about the standoff here.
The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County has begun taking more aggressive measures to halt the spread of COVID-19. These new measures come after METRO has announced seven employees and one contractor have tested positive for COVID-19 since March 29.
Houston area
Dr. Maria Elena Bottazzi—associate dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine and co-director of the Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development— spoke with Community Impact Newspaper about vaccine development and the medical community's response to the coronavirus outbreak. Read the Q&A here.
Also, several entities—including Houston Community College and the Fort Bend County Judge’s Office—have collaborated into an organization called H-force to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Existing projects include producing face shield components from 3D printing machines.
Update 6:45 p.m. April 7
- Harris County reported 826 confirmed positive cases, including 12 deaths, outside the city of Houston as of 3:45 p.m. April 7.
- Fort Bend County reported 318 confirmed positive cases, including six deaths, as of 5 p.m. April 6. Approximately 20% of these cases are in Precinct 3, which includes Fulshear and a portion of Katy.
- Waller County reported 10 confirmed positive cases as of 7:05 p.m. April 6. Two of these cases are in Katy.
Katy ISD has served 259,685 free meals to children between March 16-April 3, according to data from the district. It is still providing free meals at 12 campuses between April 6-10.
Katy area
Employees at all Texas Children’s Hospital locations, including the West Campus in the Katy area, will receive a stipend to support their household during the coronavirus pandemic.
Fort Bend County
A new modeling estimate shows that the coronavirus peak may occur around April 23. This is good news, the local health authority said, because it means that it will give hospitals more time to treat current patients and not experience a surge just yet.
Waller County
Waller County Clerk’s Office will no longer help in-person customers beginning April 7, according to a Facebook post from Waller County Judge Trey Duhon. The office will still operate, but it will interact with the public via phone, emails, e-recordings and e-filings.
Harris County
Musicians in Harris County who have lost work because of the coronavirus outbreak have a new venue for support: the Houston Music Foundation. The fund has an initial goal to raise $500,000 from the community, enabling it to support as many as 1,000 artists.
Houston area
Gov. Greg Abbott announced via a news release April 7 that state parks and historic sites should be temporarily closed to help curb the spread of the coronavirus. This includes 11 parks in the Greater Houston area.
Minute Maid Park will accept personal protective supplies for first responders and municipal workers on April 8 from noon-3 p.m. Accepted items include face masks, gloves, gowns, goggles, hand sanitizer, rubbing alcohol and thermometers.
Update 8:20 a.m. April 7
- Harris County reported 664 confirmed positive cases, including 12 deaths, outside the city of Houston as of 3 p.m. April 6.
- Fort Bend County reported 318 confirmed positive cases, including 6 deaths, as of 5 p.m. April 6. Approximately 20% of these cases are in Precinct 3, which includes Fulshear and a portion of Katy.
- Waller County reported 10 confirmed positive cases as of 7:05 p.m. April 6. Two of these cases are in Katy.
Update 6:40 p.m. April 6
- Harris County reported 664 confirmed positive cases, including 12 deaths, outside the city of Houston as of 3 p.m. April 6.
- Fort Bend County reported 318 confirmed positive cases, including 6 deaths, as of 5 p.m. April 6. Approximately 20% of these cases are in Precinct 3, which includes Fulshear and a portion of Katy.
- Waller County reported nine confirmed positive cases as of 8:49 p.m. April 5. Two of these cases are in Katy.
Want to attend a public meeting virtually or sign up for public comment? Check out this week’s guide to local government’s meetings.
Or find a list of fun virtual activities to do here.
City of Katy
Mayor Bill Hastings signed a proclamation making a disaster declaration in response to COVID-19 pandemic at the April 6 special City Council meeting.
Additionally, Katy City Council approved a resolution to extend the disaster declaration until the end of the event.
City of Fulshear
The city of Fulshear announced additional changes to its recycling procedures. It had previously changed these procedures due to an employee of its waste services provider who tested positive for the coronavirus.
Starting April 6, three recycling receptacles will be available at one location for residents to drop off items. The receptacles will be on Plymouth Lane near the Cross Creek Ranch Welcome Center, which is at 6450 Cross Creek Bend Lane. Residents can no longer dump their recycling at the Irene Stern Community Center.
Harris County
A new study from the Rice University Kinder Institute of Urban Research suggests the stay-home order may have saved over 4,500 lives in Harris County. Learn more about the study here.
Fort Bend County
The Fort Bend County Office of Elections Administration is encouraging mail-in ballots, especially for residents age 65 and older, for upcoming elections. Learn how to send in an application for a mail-in ballot here.
Greater Houston area
Construction crews began work April 6 on a medical shelter at NRG Stadium that will assist the Houston area’s hospital system should any hospitals surpass capacity during a surge of COVID-19 cases.
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said the hospitals in the Greater Houston area are operating at 70% capacity collectively.
Additionally, essential workers struggling to find child care amid coronavirus shutdowns can now find a provider and potentially receive financial assistance through a new Southeast Texas support system. Those interested in finding available child care can search the database at https://findchildcare.collabforchildren.org or by calling 713-334-5980.
Looking for March 30-April 3 updates about the coronavirus? Find them here.
Looking for March 23-27 updates about the coronavirus? Find them here.
Looking for March 16-20 updates about the coronavirus? Find them here.
