Irving has first COVID-19 death as restaurants, more reopen to customers, plus other coronavirus updates

Dallas County reported Saturday that a man in his 20s is the first coronavirus-related death to be recorded in Irving.

This came after the expiration of Gov. Greg Abbott’s statewide stay-at-home order Friday, which allowed Texas malls, stores, restaurants, movie theaters and restaurants to open Friday — but with only 25% occupancy.

The city of Irving also announced the beginning of reopening some city services in the coming days, including the Irving Golf Club, the Hunter Ferrell Landfill, and limited services at public libraries.

Judge Clay Jenkins pleaded with county residents Tuesday to continue staying home, saying the county has yet to see a two-week decline in new confirmed coronavirus cases and that there is not enough testing in Texas to identify new hot spots. Dallas County reported its highest single-day increase in coronavirus cases on Sunday — a daunting 234 new positive cases.

Here’s more information about the impact the coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, has had on Irving.

Coronavirus cases

Dallas County’s case counts for Irving are updated Tuesday and Friday.

City/county updates

Besides allowing some restaurants, some stores and other business to reopen, here are other guidelines Abbott issued Monday:

• Barber shops, hair salons and gyms must wait until mid-May at the earliest to reopen.
• Outdoor sports such as golf and tennis may resume with no more than four participants in a match, and they must observe social distancing guidelines.
• Businesses can decide not to open.

Dallas County has two drive-through testing centers at American Airlines Center in Dallas and the Ellis Davis Field House in the Red Bird area.

Irving’s declaration of local disaster is extended through May 8; it was first made by proclamation of Irving Mayor Richard Stopfer on March 12. This also extended the city’s emergency measures ordinance.

City Hall remains closed to the public, and all museums and the Irving Arts Center are still closed with programs and events canceled through May 15.

The Irving ISD tax office is also closed for in-person transactions.

For the Irving Municipal Court, dockets expected to serve more than 10 people have been rescheduled. Those who are requesting resets will be granted up to 90 days.

City and Business Reopenings

• Some restaurants are reopening Friday for dine-in service while others will remain closed or stay carry-out only. Contact the restaurant for details on their offerings.

• The Irving Golf Club is open.
• The Hunter Ferrell Landfill reopens Monday to public access.
• Irving Public Libraries: Effective Wednesday, drive-thru window service reopens at the South Irving Library, 601 Schulze Dr., and Valley Ranch Library, 401 Cimarron Trail. The West Irving Library, 4444 W. Rochelle Road, will provide curbside delivery service. The hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday; and closed Sunday. The East Library and Learning Center will remain closed.

City and Business Closures

• All hair, nail and beauty salons and massage and tattoo parlors are closed.
• Arenas, stadiums, event centers, meeting halls, conference centers, large cafeterias are closed.
• The Texas Lottery Live free concert series at the Toyota Music Factory is canceled until further notice.
• Events at The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory are canceled or postponed until further notice.
• All city museums are closed.
• The Irving Arts Center is closed.
• All museum and Arts Center programs and events are canceled through May 15.
• Heritage Senior Center is closed, along with all of its associated activities/events.
• Mustang Park, Cimarron Park and Lively Pointe Youth Center recreation centers are closed.
• All City of Irving fitness facilities are closed.
• All Irving Fire Stations are closed to casual visitors.
• The Irving Police Department’s Records and Property Room sections are closed to the public.
• North Lake Natatorium and Heritage Aquatic Center are closed. All related events, open swims, lessons and practices are canceled.
• The Lively Park Skate Park is closed.
• All athletic fields for practices, league play and tournaments are closed.
• The City of Irving will manage public access at the Irving Animal Care Campus (IACC), 4140 Valley View Lane. Managed access will remain in effect until further notice. All volunteer and community service activities are suspended.
• The Irving Dog Park is closed.

Education

• Irving ISD students will continue distance learning through the end of this academic year in May. Parents may access their child’s daily learning schedule and assignments — as well as information on free lunches and technology device reservations at www.irvingisd.net/learningplans. The district has set up a coronavirus web page regularly updated with developments.
• The Highlands School has moved to e-learning.
• The Islamic School of Irving has extended online learning through May 4.
• Holy Family Catholic Academy is doing online classes.
• North Lake College, part of the Dallas County Community College District, has begun online classes for the remainder of the semester. It has also postponed its commencement ceremony, but says that the conferring of degrees and certificates won’t be affected.
• The University of Dallas has put all classes online for the remainder of the spring semester. Commencement has been postponed until October but the conferring of degrees won’t be impacted. UD has also established a fund to help students affected by the ongoing crisis.

Places of worship

Gov. Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton have put forth guidelines for houses of worship to follow when reopening their doors to parishioners. Check with your church to see if and when they’re reopening their doors, and to ensure they follow social distancing and health guidelines.