SAN ANTONIO —
These are the facts:
- There have been at least 4,355 cases of coronavirus in Texas and 66 reported deaths from COVID-19 as of 6 p.m. on Wednesday, April 1, according to Johns Hopkins University.
- City leaders say there are 229 confirmed positive cases in San Antonio as of 6:15 p.m. on April 1; 66 of them are "community-transmission" cases. Officials have confirmed nine coronavirus-related deaths across Bexar County. There are no new cases Wednesday. City officials are also releasing the zip codes of residents who have tested positive for the virus. Click here for that information.
- Governor Abbott issued an executive order telling people to stay home unless working in an "essential service" or doing an activity deemed essential. Here is what that means.
- Many school districts in the San Antonio area have closed at least until May 4, after the governor ordered schools closed until then. Check our full list of free meals offered by some of the districts during the school closure.
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Real-time updates:
Wednesday, April 1
6:15 p.m.
There are now 229 confirmed Bexar County coronavirus cases. No new deaths have been reported. There are 70 travel-related cases and 66 community transmission cases. 33 cases involved close contact, and 60 cases remain under investigation.
4:34 p.m.
1 of the 7 Kendall County patients who tested positive for coronavirus visited a local business (a UPS store) within the City of Boerne, according to officials with the Texas Department of State Health Services. It is possible that anyone who visited the UPS store at 215 W. Bandera on March 28 around 12 p.m. may have been exposed.
As a precaution, city officials say the store is being "professionally sanitized" overnight so customers can go there on Thursday.
4:19 p.m.
The Hays County Local Health Department reports 4 additional lab-confirmed cases overnight and today bringing the total number of lab-confirmed cases to 42, of the 42, 32 cases are active, 10 are recovered.
4:15 p.m.
NEISD employee tests positive for coronavirus. While there was no contact with any students, the employe did visit the Johnson High School campus briefly on two occasions.
12:40 p.m.
12 people have tested positive for coronavirus at a San Antonio nursing home, according to the San Antonio Fire Department. Six are staff members at Southeast Nursing and Rehabilitation, and six are residents.
11:10 a.m.
Comal County officials have confirmed a 12th positive case of coronavirus, a patient in their 60s who has self-quarantined at home. How the patient contracted the coronavirus is unconfirmed.
“The patient traveled internationally in the weeks before symptom onset, but the amount of time between travel and symptoms makes it difficult to determine whether they contracted the virus overseas or locally,” said Cheryl Fraser, Comal County director of public health.
10:20 a.m.
The Texas State Teachers Association posted a letter to social media Wednesday demanding that Texas schools stay closed through the end of the 2019-2020 school year.
9:54 p.m.
The San Antonio Police Department has confirmed that a second member of the department has tested positive for coronavirus. This case does not appear to be related to the first.
7:56 a.m.
In an effort to increase social distancing, Costco says it will temporarily start limiting the number of people who can enter its stores. Starting Friday, only two people will be allowed in for every membership card that is presented, according to the company's website. That means parents who normally haul their whole family to the store may have to leave some of them at home.
7 a.m.
The U.S. has 189,633 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 4,081 deaths from the disease as of 3:15 a.m. ET Wednesday morning, according to Johns Hopkins University. More than 7,100 people have recovered.
Tuesday, March 31
8:15 p.m.
SAPD has released new information about an officer who tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday. According to the department, a member of the officer's household had traveled to New York. The officer was at work for four-and-a-half days after coming into contact with his relative.
6:15 p.m.
Mayor Ron Nirenberg says the number of COVID-19-related deaths in Bexar County is now up to nine, and the number of total cases is up to 207; that's an additional 39 cases from Monday's update.
Nirenberg added that, between county and private labs, about 2,500 coronavirus tests have been administered in Bexar County.
The mayor also said there will be a city-wide moment of silence currently planned for Thursday at 9 a.m. to remember those who have died from the coronavirus locally.
5:45 p.m.
DeWitt County officials reported the fourth confirmed case of coronavirus in a county resident. According to the county, an investigation by health officials indicated the case is travel related.
4:30 p.m.
During the White House's daily task force briefing, President Trump called upon American citizens to heed the call to make sacrifices over the next 30 days to help slow the spread of coronavirus.
White House coronavirus response coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx explained that the administration has relied on a model which projects there will be 100,000 to 240,000 deaths in the U.S. if social distancing is maintained. She added that it was "still way too much."
4 p.m.
The Hays County Local Health Department reports 10 additional lab-confirmed cases overnight and today, along with four more patients who are cleared/recovered.
2:30 p.m.
Gov. Greg Abbott expanded his executive order, which "in short," means Texans are expected to stay home unless they are doing an activity or work somewhere listed as essential. A list of essential services can be found online. If Texans must leave their home, they must follow the "presidential standard of distancing practices," Abbott said.
2:12 p.m.
Texas schools will remain closed until at least May 4, Gov. Greg Abbott announced.
1:32 p.m.
Officials with Peterson Regional Medical Center have confirmed the first case of coronavirus in Kerr County.
11:43 a.m.
Comal County officials confirm the recovery of two more coronavirus patients, bringing the total of residents who have recovered from the disease to five.
8:40 a.m.
Stocks are opening slightly lower on Wall Street as investors close out a brutal month of March. The S&P 500 is headed for its biggest quarterly decline since the last quarter of 2008. For the Dow, it could be the worst three-month period since late 1987.
8:30 a.m.
Walmart has announced it will be taking additional health and safety measures to keep its workers safe amid the coronavirus pandemic. In a letter on the Walmart website, the company said it would begin taking the temperatures of associates as they come to work. Employees running temperatures of 100 degrees or higher will be paid for reporting to work and asked to go home. The company has also ordered masks and gloves for employees to use.
8:21 a.m.
Frost will donate a total of $2 million to Texas nonprofits helping to alleviate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, Frost officials announced Tuesday. The donations will be made in the regions where Frost has operations and will include $1 million in funds distributed to nonprofits in Frost’s headquarters region of San Antonio.
7:15 a.m.
Spain recorded on Tuesday 849 new coronavirus deaths, the highest number since the pandemic hit the southern European country, according to the country’s health ministry. With both new infections and deaths up around 11% each, to a total of 94,417 confirmed cases and 8,189 fatalities, Spain is seeing a slight rebound in the outbreak.
7:05 a.m.
USAA employees now have access to curbside pick-up of meals and essential grocery food items across their corporate campuses. Employees can place daily weekday orders for same-day curbside pick-up of prepared meals and grocery food items, such as produce, milk, and eggs.
6:45 a.m.
The world total climbed to more than 800,000 cases as many countries continue to battle the coronavirus pandemic. In the United States, New York's governor begged for health care reinforcements, saying up to 1 million more workers were needed.
Coronavirus symptoms
The symptoms of coronavirus can be similar to the flu or a bad cold. Symptoms include a fever, cough and shortness of breath, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
Most healthy people will have mild symptoms. A study of more than 72,000 patients by the Centers for Disease Control in China showed 80 percent of the cases there were mild.
But infections can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death, according to the World Health Organization. Older people with underlying health conditions are most at risk.
The CDC believes symptoms may appear anywhere from two to 14 days after being exposed.
Human coronaviruses are usually spread through...
The air by coughing or sneezing
Close personal contact, such as touching or shaking hands
Touching an object or surface with the virus on it, then touching your mouth, nose or eyes before washing your hands.
Help stop the spread of coronavirus
Stay home when you are sick.
Eat and sleep separately from your family members
Use different utensils and dishes
Cover your cough or sneeze with your arm, hot your hand.
If you use a tissue, throw it in the trash.
Lower your risk
Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
If you are 60 or over and have an underlying health condition such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes or respiratory illnesses like asthma or COPD, the World Health Organization advises you to try to avoid crowds or places where you might interact with people who are sick.