Houston Close to Reimposing Lock Down

Health Officials Say COVID-19 Transmission is Uncontrolled in Houston.

Officials are urging Houston citizens to be cautious as the city opens back up. New numbers indicate a need for new COVID-19 treatment centers at NRG Stadium in the fourth-largest city.

Lina Hidalgo, the Harris County Judge responisble for 5 million residents, says that she is "growing increasingly concerned that we may be approaching the precipice of a disaster." Her warning followed the rise in corona virus cases and new hospitilizations in Houston, and across the state after restaurants opened to 75% capacity Memorial Day Weekend.

Restoring the community is showing to be more dangerous since Houston "had the highest hospitilization number this Monday; It's only grown from there," says Hidalgo. The numbers are significant and the U.S. COVID-19 death toll is now estimated at 170,000 by October, more than 50,000 more deaths over the course of a few months.

Dr. Jeremy Finkelstein, an emergency medical specialist at Houston Methodist stated he feels "we're seeing people treat that as if COVID-19 is no longer an issue and that's far from the fact."

Over 84,900 people in Texas have beein infected with COVID-19 and over 1,950 have died, reported by Johns Hopkins University. There have been over 55,000 recoveries. The CDC made a telebriefing on Friday after 3 months of silence to issue new guidelines, including bringing personal food and drinks to gatherings, waving instead of hugging, and sanitizing hands after using public spaces like ATMs and public transport, and taking hotel/office space stairs rather than elevators.

Texas is not the only state to see an urge in cases but the officials are calling a 'Code Orange', meaning the transmission and infection of COVID-19 is now at an uncontrolled level.

SOURCE: CBS