Day: April 9, 2020

Harrison County COVID-19 Update – 9 April 2020

[Marshall, Texas, April 9, 2020]

[Marshall, Texas] As our positive coronavirus (COVID-19) case numbers increase, the Emergency Management Team of Harrison County and the City of Marshall agree that the release of more detailed information will not risk violating the resident’s privacy.

The following data represents Harrison County COVID-19 Testing reported to Marshall Harrison County Health District as of 4/9/2020 at 4:00 p.m.

Total Positive COVID-19 Cases in Harrison County              12*

City of Marshall Positive Cases                                                   6

Harrison County Positive Cases                                                  6

*The Overall Count includes one fatality

Harrison County Total Demographics with Age Range

Male – 7

Female – 5         

00-19 – 0

21-39 – 4

40-59 – 5

60+ – 3

The Marshall – Harrison County Health District confirmed that case #9 was a resident of another county. This discrepancy verifies the challenge for our Health District to report testing and cases. Therefore, Harrison County’s positive test result remains at twelve as there have been no new cases reported on April 9, 2020.

In order to safeguard our community from new cases, citizens are urged to follow all orders by the Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC), Executive Orders by Governor Greg Abbott and the City of Marshall First Amended Declaration of Local Disaster and Public Health Emergency Related to Communicable Disease.

1.            Restrict physical contact and publicly used areas.

2.            Maintain Social Distancing with a safe distance of six (6’) feet between individuals.

3.            Every person in Texas shall avoid social gatherings in groups of 10 or more per Executive Order of Governor Abbott.

4.            Residents should not visit nursing homes, retirement, or long-term care facilities unless to provide critical assistance.

5.            In accordance with the CDC, people shall avoid eating or drinking at bars, restaurants, and food courts, or visiting gyms or massage parlors. Residents may still utilize drive-thru, pickup, or delivery options through the Executive Order.

6.            Regularly wash hands with warm soap and water for at least 20 seconds.

7.            Avoid touching eyes, nose, or mouth.

8.            If soap is not available, use at least a 60% alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

9.            Avoid close contact with people who are sick. All persons should remain in the home if one person in the home exhibits symptoms.

10.          An essential errand should be conducted by only one adult from the household. All other family members should remain sheltered at home.

11.          CDC recommends wearing a cloth face mask in public. The mask will fit snugly, be secured with ear loops, and be able to be laundered and machine dried often. A mask should not be placed on children under age 2, anyone who has trouble breathing, or unable to remove the mask without assistance. A mask with multiple layers of fabric should allow for breathing without restriction. The cloth face coverings recommended are not surgical masks or N-95 respirators as those critical supplies that must continue to be reserved for healthcare workers and first responders.


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Open letter to supporters of President Donald Trump

By George Smith

This is not a lecture missive, not an attempt to change your mind about supporting the president.


This is an honest attempt at starting a dialogue about why you support this president. I cannot understand how any thinking individual with an IQ in the double digits can legitimately claim that President 45 is the best president for the times, unless…you are a one-issue voter (anti-abortion, immigration, or are monied gentry with a political connection to the administration).


I want to learn, to understand what it is about Trump that deserves such unvarnished loyalty from his followers.
Here are some facts, based on research, reading, analysis and prayerful thought. I invite anyone to comment on these statements and give sources as to any erroneous material.

1. The president said, “No one could have predicted this (pandemic). In 2014 President Obama, in a future-looking speech during the Ebola scare, said another pandemic would be coming and said this in a speech to the United Nations: “And even as we meet the urgent threat of Ebola, it’s clear that our nations must do more to prevent, detect and respond to future biological threats – before they erupt into full-blown crises.” The next day he hosted  44 nations to advance “our global health security. And we will work with any country that shares that commitment.”

Additionally, in 2017, as the power of the presidency was being transferred, Trump’s team was given a briefing on pandemic responses created following the Ebola crisis.

Why does the president almost daily say a pandemic could not be expected? And, why does he say repeatedly that he accepts no responsibility for the government’s slow response to the pandemic. 

2. Why is President Trump pushing for an anti-malaria drug to be used on the coronavirus? He is not a doctor and has no medical training. Does it not concern you that the Trump Organization and key advisor Rudy Guiliani have stock in one of the biggest companies manufacturing this specific drug?

3. It is a fact this president lies with regularity, almost 17,000 lies told in tweets and speeches in less than 40 months. Any reasonable explanation from a supporter would appreciated.

And, finally:

4. The national debt will have increased by more than $5 trillion by the end of Trump’s first term, an increase of about 20 percent. This is  due to the tax cuts, which greatly benefited big corporations and the ultra-rich, the touted “military buildup” and the response to the pandemic.  What is fiscally “conservative” about this administration, a main plank in the a Republican Party platform?

Seriously, I encourage an open dialogue in these (and any other) points. I want to understand but have heard no hard “facts” from supporters other that “he does what he says and says what he means” and “he is a businessman, not a politician.” 


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