Coronavirus in Texas 4/3: Cornyn says nationwide shelter-in-place would be an “overreaction”

Friday’s biggest developments

• A “Marshall Plan” for family doctors?
• Dallas County stay-at-home order extended to May 20
• Fraudulent COVID-19 test kits investigated in Laredo
• San Antonio poised to close parks for Easter weekend

Cornyn says a national shelter-in-place would be an overreaction

[12:50 a.m.] In an interview with The Hill, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn said a national shelter-in-place order would be “an overreaction,” noting that different areas of the country have been affected differently by the new coronavirus outbreak.

“Not every place is the same,” he said. “We’ve had the same conversation in Texas, but some places we have more cows than people, and the virus loves the crowd, loves congestion, and that’s why you see places like New York and Dallas, for example, which is having its own struggles.

“Locking down the country more than necessary to defeat the virus to me seems like an overreaction.”

Cornyn’s comments drew pushback from the state’s Democratic Party, which issued a statement this afternoon accusing the state’s senior senator of “[downplaying] the seriousness of the coronavirus pandemic.”

President Donald Trump, however, has refrained from declaring a nationwide stay-at-home order. In Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott earlier this week told Texans to stay at home for the next month unless they are taking part in essential services and activities —Alex Samuels

A “Marshall Plan” for family doctors?

[12:25 p.m.] The Texas Academy of Family Physicians is calling for an emergency “Marshall Plan” to bolster primary care physicians and practices, which have seen major losses as people forego medically unnecessary surgeries during the coronavirus and instead turn to hospitals when sick. In a statement, TAFP said it wants insurers to pay primary care physicians a flat fee to see COVID-19 patients, replacing a “severely flawed” fee-for-service model the group says has shuttered many practices.

If enacted, overworked hospitals could see a drop in mounting numbers of patients, instead reserving time and capacity for the most critically ill, TAFP said.

“Without patients, primary care practices are like the airlines operating ghost flights,” the statement reads. “We still don’t know if facilities will be able to handle the surge of expected patients in the coming weeks. But we do know that we can reduce hospital burden and preserve resources by keeping the patients who don’t need extreme measures of care out of emergency departments.” — Raga Justin

Dallas County extends stay-at-home through May 20

[12:16 p.m.] Dallas County has extended its stay-at-home-order, originally set to end Friday, through May 20. The extension is the first among similar localities in the state. The Dallas Morning News reported that the county — also the first jurisdiction to implement the stay-at-home order earlier this month — decided to take further action after county commissioners gave County Judge Clay Jenkins the green light.

Jenkins had previously said he would keep the order in place past April 3 if necessary. Dallas County reported 800 cases and 17 deaths as of Thursday.

Report: Fraudulent COVID-19 test kits investigated in Laredo

[11:51 a.m.] A large shipment of COVID-19 rapid testing kits expected to be distributed in a Laredo drive-thru testing center is likely fraudulent, city officials said. The kits were produced by a company called Anhui Deep Blue Medical Technology Co., and promised 93%-97% accuracy to test COVID-19 with only a finger prick and in 15 minutes, according to the Laredo Morning Times.

According to a city news release, Laredo city officials agreed to purchase 2,500 rapid testing kits from a local clinic, Clear Choice ER, that had secured a large shipment of what they thought were FDA-approved tests. Laredo split the cost with Webb County and was preparing a drive-thru testing facility when the local health department discovered the kits were not performing reliably.

The FDA certification, also under suspicion, is currently being investigated. The city had not yet paid for the tests and no residents had been tested with them, the city said. — Raga Justin

San Antonio poised to close parks for Easter weekend

[9 a.m.] San Antonio’s pandemic restrictions are about to include the city’s parks. Mayor Ron Nirenberg is expected to order the city’s parks closed during Easter weekend, according to the San Antonio Express-News. The city’s current stay-at-home order expires before then — on April 10 — but the mayor is asking the city council to extend it through April 30. The parks order, as proposed, would leave walking trails and some greenspace open. — Texas Tribune staff

Work on the border wall continues — without social distancing

[9:05 a.m.] Work on President Trump’s border wall continues during the pandemic, the Dallas Morning News reports. Contractors are building a “mancamp” to house up to 80 workers, and work is continuing — with side-by-side laborers working on the wall near Columbus, New Mexico — near El Paso. A spokesman for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers told the paper the wall is considered “essential business” and was under the impression — incorrectly, according to the News — that the workers were following White House and CDC guidelines for social distancing. — Texas Tribune staff