Gov. Abbott Visits Arlington, City Implements New Measures to Prevent Spread of COVID-19
By Office of Communication
Posted on March 18, 2020, March 18, 2020

Following a visit from Gov. Greg Abbott, the City of Arlington and Tarrant County leaders approved new measures designed to ensure the public’s health, decrease the potential impacts of COVID-19, and to prevent its exposure to vulnerable populations.

Abbott met with Arlington Mayor Jeff Williams, Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley and other community leaders Wednesday to stress the importance of collaboration in the state’s fight against coronavirus.

The visit to Arlington Fire Department's Office of Emergency Management came one day after Tarrant County Public Health announced the county’s first known COVID-19 death - a senior man with underlying health conditions who lived at the Texas Masonic Retirement Center in Arlington.

“The family affected by this, the City of Arlington, Tarrant County and the State of Texas - we all need to support each other. We need to show patience. We need to show collaboration of everybody in the entire community to ensure that we resolve this situation with the maximum public safety,” Abbott said.

Wednesday afternoon, the Arlington City Council held a special emergency meeting to approve a modification to the City’s coronavirus disaster declaration upon the recommendation of the City’s Public Health Authority, the City of Arlington’s Fire Department and Tarrant County Public Health. Effective immediately and enforced by the Arlington Fire Department's Fire Marshal, Arlington restaurants, bars and other establishments with dining areas will be closed to the public for an indefinite length of time. However, these businesses can still offer take-away, drive-thru and delivery services.

“We know these measures will certainly create some hardships for our citizens and definitely our businesses, too. I want to echo the words of our Fire Chief Don Crowson that we are implementing this plan with the public’s health top of mind,” Williams said. “I also want to reassure you that our Arlington Fire Department's Office of Emergency Management and City Public Health Authority are both ready. We’re consulting with Tarrant County Public Health and our local, state and federal medical experts each day to make sure we’re making smart decisions that benefit our entire community and prevent the exposure of COVID-19 to vulnerable populations.”

Click here to read the modified City of Arlington coronavirus disaster declaration.

In response to the developing coronavirus pandemic, emergency and disaster declarations were declared at the federal, state and county level, as well as at the City of Arlington, on March 13, 2020.

The City of Arlington has created a coronavirus website that offers prevention tips, information about what Arlington and Tarrant County are doing to stay up-to-date, the latest news from the CDC and more.

The City’s Public Health Authority and the Arlington Fire Department's Office of Emergency Management is communicating closely with Tarrant County Public Health, the Texas Department of State Health Services, the CDC, the Arlington medical community and other partners to monitor and stay up-to-date on this developing situation. Tarrant County has established a coronavirus hotline at 817-248-6299. 

Click here to read the Tarrant County Declaration of Disaster Due to Public Health Emergency. 

Although the coronavirus is a new virus that is spreading globally, we encourage all residents to read “Remember the 3 Cs” for more information about stopping the spread of cold and flu:


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