Hard-hit Rio Grande Valley counties issuing directives for residents to stay home

HIDALGO COUNTY, Texas — While some big cities in Texas are reporting signs that an alarming surge in cases of the coronavirus may be leveling off, officials in south Texas counties along the border with Mexico said Tuesday that the outlook there remains bleak.

Dallas County officials said the number of hospitalized virus patients dropped below 1,000 on Tuesday for the first time in more than two weeks, and officials in Houston are seeing signs of optimism. But the Rio Grande Valley continues to grapple with an onslaught of virus infections and hospitalizations.

Along the border in Starr County, Judge Eloy Vera said “we’re very close to losing the situation” and plans to issue a stay-at-home directive this week.

He said it would be similar to a new shelter-at-home order issued by Hidalgo County Judge Richard Cortez, who set a curfew from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. and said all nonessential businesses should cease any activity that can’t be provided at curbside or by takeout.

The emergency order he issued mandates that people shelter in their residences, restrict travel and limit gatherings - but it remains an unenforceable directive, according to Gov. Greg Abbott’s office.

“This order has no enforcement mechanism, which makes it simply a recommendation for those to stay home if they can, which Gov. Abbott supports," Abbott spokesman John Wittman said. "However, this order does not force businesses to shut down in the Rio Grande Valley."

Whittman said Abbott’s past mandates do not allow local officials to set their own stay-at-home restrictions.

Texas on Tuesday reported more than 9,300 confirmed new virus cases and 131 deaths, the state’s second deadliest day of the pandemic. The true number of cases is likely higher because many people have not been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected and not feel sick.

In Hidalgo County, 524 people tested positive for the virus, bringing the total number of infections there to 12,787, according to data released by the county.

“I am asking for all of us to come together and fight this battle as one,” Cortez said in a statement. “This action will help us do the right thing to save and protect each other from this deadly disease by sheltering at home.”

Local hospitals are full with Covid-19 patients, and ambulances have described long wait times to be able to deliver patients to crowded emergency rooms. U.S. Navy teams have also been deployed to the Rio Grande Valley, a region that includes Hidalgo County.