KRTS 93.5 FM Marfa Public Radio

Marfa Public Radio is compiling resources for residents of the area. If you are offering services and would like to be included on this list, please email diana@marfapublicradio.org. (Last updated Thursday, April 2, 2020)

Resources for West Texans:

• Big Bend/Permian Basin – Where Can I Get Tested for COVID-19 in West Texas?
• Big Bend – Relief Funds, Meals, and more
• Permian Basin – Relief Funds, Meals, and more
• Big Bend/Permian Basin – Virtual AA meetings and church services
• April 1, 2020 – KUT – Gov. Abbott Says Religious Services Are Essential — So Can Churches Still Meet? Here’s What He Says.
• March 31, 2020 – NPR – Should We All Be Wearing Masks In Public? Health Experts Revisit The Question
• A Guide from KUT – How to file for unemployment

Marfa Public Radio’s latest coronavirus reporting:

• April 1, 2020 – Presidio County Issues A Shelter-In-Place Order And Mandates Curfew For County Residents
• March 31, 2020 – Jeff Davis County Issues Shelter-In-Place Order To Prevent The Spread Of COVID-19
• March 31, 2020 – Brewster County Issues Shelter-In-Place Order And Establishes Community-Wide Curfew
• March 30, 2020 – Odessa Issues A Shelter-In-Place Order As The Number Of Coronavirus Cases Grows To 5
• March 27, 2020 – Marfa Issues Shelter-In-Place Order To Slow Spread Of The Coronavirus
• March 23, 2020 – Closures of Hotels, Motels, RV parks and Short-Term Rentals in the Tri-County Area
• March 13, 2020 – Guidance On Preventing The Spread Of COVID-19 In The Big Bend Region.
• March 6, 2020 – Here’s How Healthcare Professionals In West Texas Are Preparing For Coronavirus.

The public radio stations that make up The Texas Newsroom are tracking cases and deaths based on counts from the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.

The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in Texas was reported on March 4 in Fort Bend County, southwest of Houston. The first death from the disease was on March 15 in Matagorda County, on the Gulf Coast between Houston and Corpus Christi.

By Kiah Collier, Perla Trevizo and Vianna Davila, The Texas Tribune and ProPublica

COVID-19 has spread rapidly in Texas, and many congregations closed their doors and moved religious services online. But there are some religious groups who say it’s their right to remain open because they believe they provide an essential service to their communities.

By Mitch Borden

An Odessa Doctor says he has tested positive for COVID-19. Dr. Ghassan Fanous made the announcement Thursday in a Facebook post.

Fanous is an OB-GYN that has his own personal practice in the Permian Basin and was exposed to an individual over the weekend who later tested positive for the disease. Currently, the doctor isn’t exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 and is continuing to give consultations via telemedicine.

By Alex Ura, The Texas Tribune

Gov. Greg Abbott previously paved the way for municipalities to push their May elections to November. But a handful of small towns and special districts hadn’t canceled despite fears of infection spreading at polling places.

By Carlos Morales

At the entrances to Big Bend National Park, visitors will now be met with barricades, signs and park rangers telling them the sprawling 800,000-acre park is now closed to the public.

Big Bend National Park is temporarily closing to all visitors beginning April 3, in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus. The park announced the new measure Friday morning. The park-wide closure is the latest restriction park officials are enacting—previously the park had limited services and reduced camping to day-use only.

By Marisa Charpentier, KUT

When Gov. Greg Abbott issued his executive order Tuesday restricting nonessential activities, he made sure to note religious services are considered essential.

But in a time when people aren’t supposed to gather, what can and can’t houses of worship do? The governor’s office and the Office of the Attorney General released some guidance Wednesday.

By Mitch Borden

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to shake global markets—and as the price war over crude oil between Russian and Saudi Arabia goes on—oil companies are trying to figure out how to survive with oil prices hovering around $20 dollars a barrel.

In Texas, that’s led some oil companies to ask the Texas Railroad Commission, the state’s oil and gas regulator, to limit how much oil companies can sell.

By Huo Jingnan, Allison Aubrey, and Carmel Wroth, NPR

A few months ago, it may have seemed silly to wear a face mask during a trip to the grocery store. And in fact, the mainline public health message in the U.S. from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been that most people don’t need to wear masks.

But as cases of the coronavirus have skyrocketed, there’s new thinking about the benefits that masks could offer in slowing the spread. The CDC says it is now reviewing its policy and may be considering a recommendation to encourage broader use.

By Naomi Andu, The Texas Tribune

Last week alone, 275,597 out-of-work Texans filed for unemployment relief.

By Carrington Tatum and Clare Proctor, The Texas Tribune

As tens of thousands of Texans try to file unemployment insurance claims, they’re finding the Texas Workforce Commission’s phone lines jammed and website servers overloaded as the agency is swamped by the crush of sudden need.

By Mitch Borden

Over the past couple of weeks, Texas has seen confirmed cases of COVID-19 in a particularly vulnerable population — inmates. The Harris County Sheriff’s office recently confirmed that at least 1 inmate had COVID-19, while dozens more were showing symptoms consistent with the virus. Other cases have also been reported in Dallas County.

But what’s happening in West Texas? Marfa Public Radio’s Mitch Borden spoke to Carlos Morales about the issues facing West Texas law enforcement and inmates as COVID-19 continues to spread through the state.

By Carlos Morales

Presidio County officials late Tuesday joined their neighboring Big Bend counties in issuing a shelter-in-place order. The order followed Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s statewide mandate for residents to stay at home.

Expanding on a previous disaster declaration, Presidio County Judge Cinderela Guevara is now requiring Presidio County residents to shelter in place, “to stay at home.” The order, like others across the state, allows for essential businesses and activities to continue. Presidio County’s order also includes a curfew between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. for residents unless they’re conducting or traveling to or from an “essential activity.”

By Patrick Svitek, The Texas Tribune

He also said that schools would remain closed until at least May 4 as the state increases its efforts to stop the spread of the new coronavirus.

By Mitch Borden

In effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus in Texas, rural communities are establishing shelter-in-place orders following Gov. Greg Abbott’s statewide mandate for residents to stay at home.

Jeff Davis County is the most recent region to issue its own shelter-in-place order. On Tuesday, the rural county expanded on a previous disaster declaration and the county is now banning all public and private gatherings outside of the home for the general public.

By Mitch Borden

As towns across the Big Bend region prepare for the coronavirus, Brewster County Judge Commissioners are issuing a shelter-in-place order to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Expanding on a previous disaster declaration, Brewster County Judge Eleazar Cano is banning all public and private gatherings for the general public—and instating a curfew for communities from 10 pm to 5 am.

All of the new restrictions go into effect at 11:59 p.m. on March 31. News of the order came shortly after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued an order requiring Texans to limit personal interactions that could lead to the spread of COVID-19.

By Mose Buchele, KUT

Every day, we hear updated COVID-19 numbers: The number of confirmed cases. The number of people hospitalized. The number of people who have died. We know the numbers are going up, and we expect them to continue to rise. But beyond that, it can be difficult to understand what they teach us about the spread of the disease and whether we’re making progress against it.

By Shannon Najmabadi and Jay Root

Though Texas has dramatically increased its testing capacity, many who have gotten one are waiting days on end, and sometimes a week or more, for the results, according to interviews with patients and health care professionals.

By Patrick Svitek, The Texas Tribune

In Texas, Abbott said the state’s first ad hoc health care facility to respond to the pandemic will be the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas, an original hotspot for the outbreak at the state level.

By Mitch Borden

The City of Odessa is issuing a shelter-in-place order, beginning Monday at 11:59 p.m.

Odessa’s Mayor David Turner made the announcement over the weekend on Facebook Live. Turner based Odessa’s shelter-in-place order largely on recommendations made by the Department of Homeland Security—especially when deciding which businesses are critical and would be allowed to stay open.

By Carlos Morales

Marfa City Council voted unanimously late Thursday to issue a shelter-in-place order, which will go into effect Friday at 11:59 p.m. and could last through April 9.

Marfa follows a growing list of cities and counties across the state that have issued similar orders as the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Texas climbs.

By Edgar Walters, Texas Tribune

At a time when most hospitals are ramping up capacity to treat a massive number of patients who may become infected with COVID-19, rural hospital administrators say financial hardships could force them to do the opposite.

By Marfa Public Radio

As part of our coverage on the coronavirus and its impact to the Big Bend region and the Permian Basin, we want to hear from you.

We’ve set up a Google voicemail line that you can call and tell us about how you’re doing. Are you’re staying at home? Are you by yourself or with family? What are you’re doing to stay busy? What you’re most concerned about? Let us know, call 432-242-1896.