DALLAS (1080 KRLD) - The City of Dallas will reopen dog parks, its skate park and more at reduced capacity this weekend. The parks will open Friday.
Dog parks will have added foot pedals on gates to reduce "touch points." The city has also started taking reservations for its park pavilions, but any outdoor events will be limited to 15 people.
"I am going to caution our residents again: reopening does not mean a return to normal," says Mayor Eric Johnson. "This is not over. We are still in the middle of a pandemic."
In addition to additional parks opening, restaurants across Texas can expand to 50 percent capacity Friday. Bars, breweries and wine tasting rooms can open at 25 percent capacity.
Johnson says he supports the governor's goal to restart the state's economy, but he is urging people to take precautions if they do plan to spend time in public.
"I said this frequently before Dallas went to its stay-at-home order, and I can't say this enough now: Wear a mask when you're out in public. This shouldn't be a partisan, political issue," Johnson says.
Last week, Johnson appointed Kelvin Baggett the city's "health and healthcare access czar." Baggett says he is working with the Dallas County health director, business owners and the mayor's economic recovery task force to discuss measures to help open the economy safely.
"I'm pleased to say we have a real partnership," Baggett says. "We have handled it well in terms of the relationship between the business and health community."
Baggett says discussions also focus on how to "thoughtfully and carefully" plan for testing and contact tracing. Johnson says mobile testing is now available in every zip code in the City of Dallas. He says priority is given to zip codes with the most cases.
Johnson says he understands the "intense interest" in the next phase of the governor's plan, and while the number of new cases has not decreased, he says the number does appear to have "plateaued."
"Our economic recovery remains my top priority for the City of Dallas and its people," he says.
Wednesday, Dallas County reported 186 new cases of COVID-19.
Hospitals in Dallas reported about 65 percent of their beds occupied Wednesday, 71 percent of ICU beds occupied and 34 percent of ventilators in use.