EL PASO, Texas – Cases of COVID-19 and hospitalizations are rising in Texas again, and nowhere is this unsettling trend more apparent than in the border city of El Paso.
On Sunday night, El Paso County Judge Ricardo Samaniego issued a stay-at-home order that includes a curfew between the hours of 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. Violators could face a $500 fine.
County health officials reported 772 new cases of coronavirus on Sunday alone. The day prior, a record 1,216 new cases of the virus were reported in the county. That’s more than 20% of the new cases reported across the state.
“We are in a crisis stage,” Samaniego said.
As available hospital and ICU beds dwindle, Texas. Gov. Greg Abbott Sunday said 50 beds will be set up in the city’s convention center and another 50 could be added.
Texas has already sent more than 900 medical personnel to the El Paso area, some of whom will staff the convention center.
“The alternate care site and auxiliary medical units will reduce the strain on hospitals in El Paso as we contain the spread of COVID-19 in the region,” Abbott said.
The situation is worsening after President Donald Trump last week downplayed the Texas spike during the debate in Nashville.
“There was a very big spike in Texas, it’s now gone,” he said.
As of Sunday, the Texas Department of State Health Services reported 91,858 active cases of coronavirus, which included 3,793 new cases. There have been a total of 17,504 deaths attributed to the virus in Texas and an estimated 755,095 recoveries.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.