NEWS

Coronavirus in San Angelo: Week 1 live updates (March 12-19)

Jen Guadarrama
San Angelo Standard-Times

Here's a look at how COVID-19 is affecting the San Angelo area. 

Coronavirus in San Angelo:

Are there any cases of coronavirus in San Angelo?

There are no confirmed cases of coronavirus within Tom Green County as of 8 p.m. March 19. 

In Texas, 2,335 people have been tested and 143 were confirmed positive. Five deaths have been reported. 

Counties affected include: Bell, Bexar, Bowie, Brazoria, Brazos, Collin, Dallas, Denton, DeWitt, El Paso, Fort Bend, Galveston, Gregg, Harris, Hays, Johnson, Lavaca, Matagorda, McLennan, Medina, Montgomery, Rusk, Smith, Tarrant, Travis, Webb, Williamson. Pending county assignment: 35. 

— Source: Texas Department of State Health Services

Presumptive positive coronavirus case reported in Sonora

The Devil's River News is reporting that the hospital and clinic in Sonora have implemented curbside screening for COVID-19 on March 19 due a potential positive case.

Hospital Administrator Andy Kolb said one person from Sonora was tested this morning and there is a high probability that they will test positive, the newspaper reported.

The person lives in Sonora and is an employee at a local truck stop, the newspaper reported, citing hospital administration.

“This has been our worst fear all along,” Kolb said. “Coming from the interstate. We knew it was our biggest vulnerability.”

Test results from the CDC will not be available for two to three days, officials told the paper.

Read the full story on devilsriver.news.

Fort Concho cancels Speakers Series, Frontier Day 

Fort Concho National Historic Landmark has announced the cancellation of its spring session of Speakers Series.

Frontier Day has also been canceled, though the fort plans to work with many of the organizations that participate in the program to reschedule the event for a future date, according to a post on its Facebook page.

Petco announces changes to hours, services

Petco announced some temporary changes Thursday due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The store will have reduced hours from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. to allow for increased cleaning and restocking. The grooming salon's hours have been shortened from 9 a.m.-6 p.m.

Petco is offering new services like pet hand-off, drop-off and text notifications at select locations to help minimize personal contact.

Self-serve dog wash and puppy playtime have been postponed until further notice. There are also no new group classes for dog training being booked.

There are also special deals and discounts being offered online. For more information, visit petco.com.

Angelo Civic Theatre postpones show

Angelo Civic Theatre is postponing its next show, "Noises Off," due to concerns over the coronavirus.

It has tentatively been rescheduled for May 8-17.

In the next few business days, box office assistants will reach out to anyone who purchased tickets for the April 17-19 or 24-26 showings, according to a release from ACT.

The ACT box office will be closed March 20-April 6. It will reopen April 7 with adjusted hours of noon-3 p.m.

Best Buy adjusts hours, access to stores

Best Buy will have reduced hours from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. until at least Sunday, March 22.

Starting March 23 — and continuing through the next two weeks — Best Buy will serve its customers through limited access to the store and curbside pickup.

Only 10 customers will be allowed in the store at a time, and they'll be escorted by an employee (maintaining the recommended social distance of 6 feet) to find their specific product, according to  a release.

Customers can still order at BestBuy.com and have products shipped to their homes.

ASU Ram Page suspends print publication 

The Angelo State University student newspaper — the Ram Page — announced March 19 it would be suspending print issues until further notice. 

"Keeping everyone informed is important, but the health and well being of the ASU community is our top priority," read a statement on the publication's Facebook page.

The Ram Page will continue publishing stories online at asurampage.com.

Tom Green County Indigent Health Care Building closes to public

Effective March 19 - 27, the Tom Green County Indigent Health Care Building will be closed to the public to provide safety for clients and staff. You can contact them via phone by 325-659-6504

Gov. Abbott issues sweeping public health declaration, ending dine-in options at bars, restaurants

During a news conference March 19, Gov. Greg Abbott issued a public health declaration by executive order that ends dine-in options at restaurants and bars.

Restaurants may continue serving food curbside and at drive-thrus. 

More:Here's a list of San Angelo restaurants offering curbside delivery

The order also: 

  • Closes schools statewide until at least April 3. 
  •  Ends visits to nursing homes. 
  • Closes all gyms. 
  • Limits social gatherings of more than 10 people. 

The order goes into effect at midnight. 

Tom Green County Library closes to the public, curbside delivery of books will be available

Officials with the Tom Green County Library system announced March 18 that all three library branches will be closed to the public until further notice, according to an announcement made on their official website.

"In compliance with recommendations from the CDC, American Library Association, and Texas Library Association regarding public health and community spaces, the library is temporarily suspending hours the building is open to the public," the message stated.

While all three branches will be closed beginning Thursday, March 19, 2020, librarians still plan to provide residents with books and other resources as they work out a curbside delivery service, according to the announcement.

More:Tom Green County Library closes doors to public amid coronavirus, curbside service planned

Old Town Books San Angelo offers curbside, live streamed storytimes

Old Town Books, 506 S Chadbourne St., has canceled events for March and April, but still has ways to connect. 

The store is offering a live streamed story time a couple of times each week for children. Get live stream information on the store's website oldtownbookstx.com and Facebook page at facebook.com/oldtownbookstx.

For residents remaining in homes and needing reading material, Old Town Books is offering email and call-in book service. Email and call in a book order and the store will deliver them curbside or to customers' homes. 

"We are very happy to 'shop' for you here in the store. Just give us a call, tell us the type of book you are interested in, and we will 'teleshop' with you (if that’s not a thing, it is now)! Then, we will be happy to deliver your book to you," the store said in an email to customers. "We are obviously trying to do everything we can to keep the bookstore alive and our customers happy through these difficult days."

Anyone with other ideas of ways the store can accommodate customers, they encourage readers to contact them at 325-703-5151 or staff@oldtownbookstx.com. 

— The Old Town Books Crew

Brown County woman positive for coronavirus after international travel

A Brown County woman has tested positive for coronavirus, officials said. 

The woman is in her 60s and had recently traveled internationally, according to the Brownwood/Brown County Health Department in a news release issued Wednesday, March 18, 2020. 

Brownwood is about 100 miles east of San Angelo.

The patient had limited community contact and is quarantined and isolated, officials said, adding that the health department's epidemiologist will be investigating this case with additional information would follow. 

Read more:Brown County woman diagnosed with coronavirus after international travel

Spencer's to close all stores until March 28

Spencer's is closing all of its stores, effective March 18, until March 28 due to coronavirus concerns. All of its associates will continue to be paid during this time, the company stated in a release.

Spencer's will remain open for business online at spencersonline.com.

Maurices announces closure of all stores in U.S. and Canada

Maurices will close temporarily for up to two weeks beginning March 18 in response to coronavirus. During the closure, Maurices employees will receive compensation for their scheduled hours, the company said in a social media post. 

The company remains open to fill orders online and is offering free shipping. maurices.com 

City of San Angelo closes buildings; here's how to pay your water bill

The City of San Angelo is officially closing certain in-person services to the public. Effective March 18, the City Hall Annex at 301 West Beauregard Ave. will close  to the general public. 

Offices in the Annex include the San Angelo Police Department's Criminal Investigations Division, San Angelo Fire Department's Fire Prevention, Public Information, Engineering Services, Operations Administration, Billing and Receipts, and Water Customer Service.

In-person visits for all of these offices will be by appointment only. Water payments can be made online at cosatx.us/waterbill, or at the dropbox on the south side of City Hall Annex, 301 W. Beauregard Ave., or by phone at 325-657-4323. Learn more at cosatx.us/customerservice. 

Diocese of San Angelo halts mass due to coronavirus

Public Masses in churches and chapels are temporarily suspended until March 31. Priests will continue to celebrate the Mass in private.

Any Church activities involving gatherings of 10 or more people in the same room at the same time are to be canceled or held virtually through March 31.

Church members may gather in small groups of fewer than 10 for Eucharistic Adoration, Rosary, Stations of the Cross, etc., practicing social distancing.

Rather than attending mass, Catholics are encouraged to pray at home and meditate on the scripture readings of the day. Broadcasts of mass are available on television, radio and online. More info: sanangelodiocese.org.

San Angelo stores set aside time for older shoppers

Dollar General: Dollar General is dedicating the first hour of operation to senior residents. Older residents can shop from 8 a.m.-9 a.m. starting Tuesday March 17. There is not a qualifying age for the shopping hour.

Market Street: Beginning on Thursday, March 19, every Market Street store will have a dedicated shopping time from store opening until 9 a.m. on Monday and Thursday for shoppers older than 60 and guests who have compromised immune systems.

Target: Beginning March 18, Target will reserve the first hour of shopping each Wednesday at stores nationwide for vulnerable guests – including elderly and those with underlying health concerns.

H-E-B: Though not offering senior-specific hours, the stores offering free next day curbside pickup at stores that offer the service as well as $5 Home Delivery. To further promote social distancing, H-E-B has launched doorstep delivery for all Home Delivery orders. With this system, delivery drivers will now leave all Home Delivery orders at the customer’s doorstep, eliminating close personal interaction. Learn more or place orders online at heb.com. H-E-B is limiting customers on purchases of soap, hand sanitizer, water, bath tissue, paper towels and cleaning wipes. The limiting number can range from store to store and as supply gets lower. It is also changing hours until further notice to 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. to allow employees ample time to restock shelves.  

Walmart: Beginning March 19, stores will be open from 7 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Between March 24 and April 28, Walmart's 5,000-plus U.S. stores will host an hour-long senior shopping event every Tuesday for customers 60 and older, which will start one hour before stores open. In addition to limits on paper products, stores will have limits on milk, eggs, cleaning supplies, hand sanitizer, water, diapers, wipes, formula and baby food, Dacona Smith, executive vice president and chief operating officer, Walmart U.S., wrote in a blog post.

San Angelo Police Department adapts to coronavirus

Effective immediately the San Angelo Police Department's records section, alarm services office and employment/volunteer fingerprint services are not available for in-person transactions. Alarm permit applications and renewals will be processed by mail only until further notice. 

The release of personal property by the department will be made on a case-by-case basis and by appointment. More info: 325-657-4379.

On March 13, the department outlined its move to mandatory online reporting for certain non-violent crimes, including theft, simple assault, garage burglary, criminal mischief/vandalism, harassment, lost property (firearms excluded), identity theft and debit card/credit card abuse. This does not include crimes in-progress.

Learn more: sanangelopolice.org/coplogic

San Angelo hospitals change visitation policies amid coronavirus

San Angelo Community Medical Center and Community Medical Associates are implementing a restricted hospital and clinic patient visitor policy at all locations. 

Entry to Community Hospital is limited to the emergency department, all other entrances will be closed to the public. 

Adult visitor will be asked screening questions by medical personnel. If a person is displaying symptoms of fever, cough or flu-like symptoms, they will be asked not to visit patients and leave the facility.

The policy is intended to provide safeguards for patients, families, visitors and caregivers through decreased exposure.

— Community Medical Center social media post

Shannon Medical Center is limiting visitation in the emergency and acute care units to one visitor per patient at a time. All visitors must enter through the emergency department (open 27/7) or through the Harris Street entrance (open 6 a.m.-6 p.m.) and undergo screening each time a person enters the facility. 

Patients in Shannon's Women's and Children's Pediatric and Labor and Delivery or Women's Health units will be limited to two visitors per patient at a time. All visitors must enter through the south entrance of the Women's and Children's Hospital and undergo a screening each time a person enters the facility. 

Any visitor showing symptoms of fever, cough or flu-like symptoms will be asked not to visit patients and to leave the facility. Children younger than 16 are not allowed. 

— Shannon Medical Center social media post

San Angelo area coronavirus closures and cancellations

  • Blood drives are canceled. People are encouraged to make appointments to donate but calling 877-258-4825.
  • The Angelo State University Small Business Development Center training event “ on March 31 is canceled. 
  • Adoption day event with Cassie's Place on March 21 is postponed. 
  • Be Theatre is closed for classes, rehearsals and all show preparation.
  • AARP Smart Drivers in classroom courses scheduled for April have been canceled until May. 
  • The US Cavalry Association Regional Competition at Fort Concho has been canceled for the year and will not be rescheduled.
  • Cactus Market Days on March 21 is canceled. 
  • The Railway Museum of San Angelo will close temporarily until further notice. The museum has launched a website at sanangelorailway.org and will continue educational activities and virtual tours via Facebook and Instagram. 
  • The city's animal microchip clinic schedule for April 3-4 is canceled. 
  • Dairy Queen has postponed free cone day set for March 19. The restaurants remain open.
  • Angelo State University has postponed commencement ceremonies. Angelo State will confer degrees and mail diplomas in May, and the university plans to invite May and summer graduates to walk the stage in August.
  • The San Angelo Schools Foundation fundraiser, Bid & Boogie 2020, scheduled for March 20 has been canceled.  A silent auction will still be conducted through an online format.  More details to come through Facebook and email.
  • The Annual Crawfish Boil at Fat Boss's Pub on March 29-30 has been postponed. 
  • The San Angelo Pachyderm Club meeting scheduled for March 18 has been canceled. 
  • Social Security Offices will only offer phone service.
  • Ultimate Air Trampoline Park will be closed. All scheduled parties and events will be rescheduled as soon as possible.
  • Just Between Friends sale postponed to June 10-14.
  • San Angelo Police Civil Service exam scheduled for March 20 postponed until May 8.
  • Girl Scouts of Central Texas has made the decision to postpone its Women of Distinction celebration to Aug. 27.  
  • The FBC Mortgage San Angelo office will be closed through March 20 as a precaution. Call 325-340-1248 for questions or further updates. 
  • The Adult Literacy Council has canceled all classes until March 20 and will follow the schedule opted for by San Angelo ISD.
  • All events scheduled for March 18-19 with Rais Bhuiyan, founder and president of World Without Hate are canceled. These include programs at Stephens Library, Angelo State University, St. Mark Presbyterian Church and Old Town Books.
  • Habitat for Humanity Texas has decided to cancel the 2020 Day at the Dome/Capitol Build on March 25.
  • Texas High School Women's Powerlifting Association State Meet scheduled for March 20-21 has been postponed to April 17 in Corpus Christi.
  • "Read to the Dogs" programs at the Tom Green County Library have been postponed until further notice. 
  • The District Courts and County Courts at law of Tom Green County, Texas have decided to cancel all jury trials scheduled for the month of March. 
  • The San Angelo Relays, scheduled for March 20-21 at San Angelo Stadium, has been canceled. 
  • The Fairmount Cemetery advisory board meeting set for March 18 is canceled. 
  • House of Faith has canceled all programming through March 20 and will follow the lead of SAISD on future programming.
  • 2020 Boys (San Angelo) and Girls (Texas City) Youth Basketball State Tournaments scheduled for March 20-22 have been canceled.
  • The annual Texas Associated Press Managing Editors convention planned for the weekend of March 27 has been postponed.
  • San Angelo Chess Club weekly meetings have been postponed until further notice. 
  • The Tom Green County Library System is canceling all programming at all branches through April. 
  • Visitation from the lobby of the Tom Green County Jail is suspended. Visitation is available via online by your smartphone or at home internet visits. The Tom Green County Jail will allow two internet visits at no charge per inmates every seven days. Visits in excess of the two will be billed at the current rate.

More:Map shows coronavirus cases in Texas, Louisiana, New Mexico, beyond

Coronavirus impact on San Angelo area businesses and organizations 

PALMER FEED: Now offering curbside pick up of its products so shoppers don’t have to get out of vehicles to pick up the supplies. People staying inside their homes per the CDC suggestions, Palmer can deliver products to any address within the city limits. For more information and ordering instructions, go online to palmerfeed.com or call Palmer Feed at 325-653-6765.

SUNSET MALL: Modifying its hours of operations beginning March 18. The new hours will be 11 a.m.–7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 12 p.m.–5 p.m. Sunday.

BUCKNER RETIREMENT SERVICES (Baptist Retirement Community): Effective March 13, visitors are limited except for certain situations including end-of-life situations or when a visitor is essential for the resident's care. The measure follows guidelines from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. "This decision was not taken lightly, however, we believe it is in the best interests of everyone,” said Charlie Wilson, senior vice president of Buckner Retirement Services. When visitors meeting the approved criteria come to any BRS community, they will have their temperature taken and asked screening questions about their current health condition and recent travel as a further level of protection for residents and staff.

LYNDALE SENIOR LIVING: All public business travel via air, ship, bus or train is prohibited until further notice. Should associates choose to travel personally, they are requiring to go on quarantine and are screened for the virus before returning to work. They are also canceling any large events/outings for our residents and asking that they refrain from public travel at this time. Additionally, they are continuing to screen all visitors that enter our communities for the virus.

SHOPPING: MarketStreet is limiting customers on purchases of hand sanitizer, disinfecting sprays and wipes, bulk paper towels, liquid hand soap and bleach.

More:Shannon offers online service to diagnose potential coronavirus cases