Here are things to know for Tuesday, Dec. 21:
1. 1st omicron-related death reported in Harris County, Judge Lina Hidalgo says
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Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo announced the county’s first omicron-related death during a news conference Monday.
This comes hours after she raised the COVID-19 threat level from yellow to orange.
In a news conference, Hidalgo, alongside other Houston-area labor leaders said that the patient was a man in his 50s with underlying health conditions.
The man was not vaccinated, Hidalgo added. The patient was also receiving Regeneron as a treatment for the illness.
2. Harris County raises threat level from yellow to orange due to ‘explosive growth’ of omicron variant
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo announced Monday that she will raise the COVID-19 threat level from yellow to orange due to a rise in cases in the area.
Hidalgo cites an “explosive growth” of the omicron variant throughout Harris County.
“Unfortunately, the omicron variant has arrived in Harris County in full force,” said Judge Hidalgo. “These trends are understandably frustrating - especially as we close out the year with friends and family. But we can still blunt the force of this latest wave if we take action. As we approach Christmas and New Years, consider giving yourself and your family the gift of health by getting your booster, getting tested before any gatherings of people outside of your household, and wearing a mask. It could very well save your life or that of a loved one.”
Threat level orange indicates a significant and “uncontrolled level” of COVID-19 in Harris County, meaning that there is ongoing transmission of the virus, according to the county’s COVID-19 data hub.
3. HFD officials flagging firefighters who aren’t in compliance with COVID-19 test or vaccine mandate
An internal email obtained by KPRC 2 Investigates shows that employees of the Houston Fire Department who are not in compliance with Mayor Sylvester Turner’s Executive Order to either get vaccinated, get an exemption, or test twice per month, will have a note of ‘non-compliance’ put in their files.
Beyond the notation, it is not clear if and when firefighters, who have remained on the frontlines of the pandemic, would face disciplinary action.
HFD Chief Sam Pena said Monday that 60% of HFD personnel are in compliance with Executive Order 71, which was signed in early September.
Untested in court, the mayor’s mandate may or may not conflict with the Governor’s Executive Order known as GA 40, signed in October. Gov. Abbott’s order prevents any entity in Texas from “compelling receipts of a COVID-19 vaccine.”
4. Houston-area restaurant temporarily closes due to rise in COVID cases
The inside of the Dandelion Cafe in Bellaire was dark on Monday. The establishment’s current plans call for it to stay that way for another week.
Co-owner Sarah Lieberman said the cafe has temporarily closed due to a rise in COVID cases.
“Our whole management had tested positive so our options were, we shorten our hours and run on a skeleton crew, and then everybody probably gets it anyway, or we close early and we try to prevent people from getting it,” Lieberman said.
Lieberman said that she and about a third of the staff have tested positive despite receiving the vaccine.
“We decided it was in the best interest of the staff, our customers, and everyone’s families to close,” she said, noting the decision was voluntary.
5. In Texas Supreme Court case, state argues that Dallas-Houston bullet train developer can’t use eminent domain
The Texas attorney general’s office has put its weight behind a landowner’s case against the companies developing a controversial Dallas-Houston bullet train, arguing they can’t force people to sell parcels needed for the high-speed rail project.
Weighing in on the matter at the invitation of the Texas Supreme Court, the attorney general’s office offered the latest twist in the nearly decade-long fight over a 240-mile line that would connect Dallas and Houston. While the project has picked up support from leaders of urban areas, it’s encountered hard resistance from residents of the rural counties on its proposed path.