Dallas County commissioners met Tuesday morning and talked about their ability to enforce capacity limits set to try to slow the spread of COVID-19. Monday, the county reported a record 1,831 confirmed and probable cases.
Restaurants are allowed to open to 75% capacity in Texas, but Dallas County did not allow bars to reopen. As a result, Judge Clay Jenkins says many bars have applied for food and beverage permits, so they can remain open, calling them "loophole bars."
He says Dallas County has just two code compliance enforcement officers, and while cities have more, the limits are tougher to enforce at large venues, like concert halls. Jenkins cited a concert last weekend at Gilley's.
"The bigger those things get, the harder it is for our cities to figure out the occupancy and do something with those," he says.
Commissioner John Wiley Price says Code Enforcement needs additional tools to force compliance.
"People will pay the fines and walk," he says. "I'm saying, 'Shut it down.' You control those premises."
Commissioners are also discussing the distribution of a potential vaccine. Health Director Phil Huang says the state is working with Moderna and Pfizer to distribute a vaccine when it is approved.
"From what I understand, one truckload of the first orders of vaccines are going to be insured in the multi-millions of dollars," says Commissioner JJ Koch. "I'm certainly a big fan of doing your homework a couple weeks or months in advance, so how about we have something we could take a look at regarding the security protocols and safety for what we're taking possession of?"
Huang says Dallas County will not be involved with distribution. He says the two companies are working directly with the state: Pfizer plans to move the vaccine itself. Moderna plans to hire McKesson for transportation. Koch says, since Dallas County will be among providers receiving the vaccine, the county should have a plan in place to administer the vaccine when it becomes available.