DALLAS (1080 KRLD) - Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins says he met with business leaders Tuesday evening to talk about the safest ways to reopen when the governor's order takes effect Friday.
Starting May 1, restaurants, movie theaters and malls can open at 25 percent capacity.
On Tuesday, Dallas County reported 135 additional cases of COVID-19, the largest number in a single day. Ten deaths because of the virus were confirmed.
"We have not seen two weeks of decline. That's number one that the Trump Administration and CDC says you need before you loosen the restrictions," Jenkins says. "I'm not telling you this to second guess the governor. I'm telling you this because now, it's up to you to make good decisions."
Some theater chains have said they would stay closed because of a lack of demand and lack of new releases. Jenkins says the theaters that open should restrict seating to alternate rows.
He also is urging groups of people to keep two empty seats between them and the next group at the theater. Jenkins says he urged theaters and restaurants to offer packets of ketchup and mustard instead of sending customers to large jugs of shared condiments.
Jenkins says he also spoke with FEMA Tuesday night to try to get more supplies for testing.
"The trends are not encouraging. The medical model says we're going to peak sometime at the end of this month or in early May, but I think we were all very disappointed by [Tuesday's> numbers," Jenkins says.
He says additional testing could help the county track cases and potential clusters at nursing homes. Dallas County has confirmed 94 deaths from COVID-19. Of those deaths, 40 percent were at nursing homes.
Of people needing hospitalization, most have been either at least 60 years old or had a chronic health condition. The county says about a third of people needing hospitalization have diabetes.
Dallas County says about 700 people who tested positive shared their occupation. The county says 77 percent of those people work in essential businesses, like grocery stores.
