Correction: A previous version of this story contained incorrect data about COVID-19 cases in Amarillo.
Amarilloans are being asked to stay at home for at least another couple of weeks.
The Amarillo City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved an extension to the city’s stay-at-home directive through April 30. Mayor Ginger Nelson said the directive has helped and will continue to help stop the spread of COVID-19.
“Amarillo residents are responding to this stay-at-home directive. They are doing what is necessary to protect themselves, their neighbors and their community by helping to stop the spread of COVID-19,” Nelson said.
As of Monday, there were 152 confirmed cases of the disease. City of Amarillo Communications Manager David Henry said the city did not receive any data pertaining to COVID-19 cases on Tuesday.
Dr. Scott Milton with the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center at Amarillo Public Health Authority told council members that opening the city back up too soon would greatly increase the likelihood of a surge in cases. That, he said would likely cause hospitals to run short of the supplies needed to treat the disease, and therefore result in higher mortality rates.
Casie Stoughton, director of Amarillo’s Public Health Department, said lifting the stay-at-home order too soon would also make it very difficult to continue contact tracing – the process of identifying persons who may have come into contact with an infected person.
Nelson said continuing the stay-at-home order while adhering to social distancing and personal hygiene guidelines and limiting travel will help Amarillo in stopping further spread of coronavirus.
“Amarillo residents have shown so much hope and resolve the past few weeks, and this has made a difference in keeping our community safe,” Nelson said.
Under the directive, according to a press release from the City of Amarillo, residents are allowed to travel for supplies such as groceries and items for their health. They are also allowed to travel in order to care for vulnerable individuals, to get educational materials, to attend funerals and to fulfill court orders.
Of the 152 cases – 79 in Potter County and 73 in Randall County – 137 are from local transmission, or community spread, and 15 are from recent travel, according to the Amarillo Public Health Department (APH) COVID-19 Report Card issued Tuesday.
To date, there have been 1,772 tests conducted and reported to APH, with 176 tests pending results.
