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8:27 p.m. The Center for Disease Control has issued a domestic travel advisory for the states of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.

Due to extensive community transmission of coronavirus in those states, the CDC urges residents of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut to refrain from non-essential domestic travel for 14 days effective immediately.

The domestic travel advisory does not apply to employees of critical infrastructure industries, including but not limited to trucking, public health professionals, financial services, and food supply.

7:53 p.m. The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Texas has grown to 2,492, up from 2091.

The Houston area region now has 744 confirmed cases.

The statewide number of deaths attributed to the virus have climbed to 34.

Out of the 254 counties in Texas, some 115 counties have reported COVID-19 cases. That's 45 percent of all counties.

7:48 p.m. Houston Methodist Hospital has received approval from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration to transfuse plasma donated from a recovered COVID-19 patient into another patient critically ill from the disease.

The treatment procedure was fast-tracked over the weekend as the death toll from the pandemic soared to more than 2,000 people across the United States.

6:40 p.m. The coronavirus is creating a new problem out in the oil patch. With so many people staying home and driving less, demand for gasoline is falling fast and refineries are cutting back on buying oil.

That drop in demand is causing crude oil storage tanks to fill up faster than companies move product.

Some pipeline operators with full storage tanks are sending letters to Texas oil companies asking them to stop production in response to the situation.

5:50 p.m. Chambers County announced its fourth and fifth cases of COVID-19.

The cases are not travel-related and involve a man between 65 and 75 years old and a woman between 20 and 30.

5:07 p.m. Galveston County has announced 11 new COVID-19 cases, bringing its total to 60.

The health district also reported an additional recovery involving a man in his 40s. No other details were released about the new cases.

Check out Chronicle graphs and maps that are tracking the rise in cases here.

4:38 p.m. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said the city may soon start putting up fences and signs around playgrounds and basketball courts as a means to enforce social distancing at parks.

Turner toured three city parks early Saturday afternoon and said that for the most part, people are complying social distancing requests but playgrounds and basketball courts remain an area of concern.

Parks have become a valuable stress reliever for people and families stuck at home due to the growing coronavirus pandemic.

4:10 p.m. Harris County is reporting 53 new cases in its unincorporated territory, bringing the total there to 213.

With Houston's cases, that makes county's total number 445, most in the state. Harris County reporting 24 recoveries, as well.

The eight-county Houston region's total is now more than 700. Check out Chronicle graphs and maps that are tracking the rise in cases here.

New: Harris County is reporting 53 new cases in the unincorporated part of the county, bringing total there to 213. W/ Houston's cases, that make's county's total number 445, most in the state.



Harris County reporting 24 recoveries, as well. — Dylan McGuinness (@dylmcguinness) March 28, 2020

3:55 p.m. Gov. Greg Abbott is waiving more licensing requirements and regulations to get more healthcare workers in the field.

Abbott waived requirements for advanced practice registered nurses, or APRNs, whose licenses have expired and are seeking to return to work amid the pandemic. For those whose licenses expired between two and four years ago, they will no longer have to pay a reactivation fee, complete continuing education or complete the current practice requirements. For those with licenses that expired more than four years ago, the current practice requirements will remain.

APRNs have more education and training than registered nurses and can prescribe medicine.

"Our frontline healthcare workers play a crucial role in Texas' response to COVID-19, and we are working to reduce barriers for former nurses who are ready and willing to serve in our communities," said Abbott.

3:40 p.m. Montgomery County announced Saturday that it has confirmed 16 new cases of COVID-19, bringing its total to 63, the Chronicle's Catherine Dominguez writes.

According to the Montgomery County Public Health District, there have been 368 negative results with 169 pending tests.

There was some good news as well: The county's second case, a woman who was in critical care, has been released from the hospital.

3:15 p.m. Memorial City Mall held three donation drives Saturday in hopes of receiving blood, medical supplies and kids meals to assist in the fight against COVID-19, the Chronicle's Brittany Britto writes.

They started at noon and accepted a variety of equipment, from wipes, face shields, isolation gowns and medical-grade N95 masks to sanitizers and shoe covers.

The drive will resume Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

3 p.m. Gov. Greg Abbott's office says he will provide an update on the state's COVID-19 response at 2 p.m. Sunday.

Abbott will be joined by Texas Department of State Health Services Commissioner John Hellerstedt and Texas Division of Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd.

2:30 p.m. Shortly after announcing Houston's number of confirmed COVID-19 cases tripled, Mayor Sylvester Turner said he got disappointing news about the continued efforts to enhance testing here.

The federal government told the mayor that they will only send enough personal protective gear to conduct 250 tests a day in the city.

The plan, for weeks, has been to open two city sites that each can do 250 tests per day. One of those sites opened March 20 and has conducted more than 1,500 tests. The other has been held up due to delays in shipments.

Now, the federal government is saying those shipments won’t come at all.

“That’s just not acceptable. That’s not much at all, and then basically what they’re saying is, if you want to set up and do more, that that cost is on the local jurisdiction,” Turner said. “So we’re going to have to try to figure out how to work that out… We need robust testing in order to get a better measurement of the degree of community spread that exists in our city.”

Turner also said the city would open its lone testing site to anyone with symptoms. People can call 832-393-4220 to start the screening process.

Harris County is operating two sites, one in Katy and one in Baytown. Their screening process is online at readyharris.org.

Private labs, like hospitals and other health clinics, have accounted for the vast majority of testing in Texas, conducting more than 22,000 of the 25,260 tests done in the state as of noon Saturday.

1:50 p.m. Houston Fire Chief Sam Peña told the Chronicle that the number of firefighters in his department who have tested positive for COVID-19 remains one for now.

Fifteen others are quarantined and experiencing symptoms, Peña said. Among that group, Peña said: "We’re still waiting some tests and of those we have gotten back, none have been positive for COVID-19."

Seven police officers have tested positive, Mayor Sylvester Turner said Saturday.

1:15 p.m. Saturday's announcement of 163 new confirmed COVID-19 cases in Houston was by far the largest single-day spike to date, tripling Houston's previous tally and making Harris County home to the most cases in the state.

And the mayor says that will only continue in coming weeks.

The eight-county Houston region now has 656 cases, according to the Chronicle's data analysis. The state is up to more than 2,254.

12:50 p.m. The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Houston more than tripled Saturday, jumping from 69 to 232 as testing capability uncovers previously undetected cases, Mayor Sylvester Turner announced.

"Let me just say, the testing has been limited. We know there are more cases," Turner said. "The way I look at it, I take 232 and I multiply by 10. Because we just don’t know."

The new number includes three Houston police officers, bringing the total number in the department to seven.

One other death, involving a woman in her 70s who was hospitalized at the time, has been attributed to the disease in the city. The woman's positive test came back the same day she died.

Dr. David Persse, the city’s medical authority, said the large jump is because officials have to reconcile reports coming in from various sites. They want to make sure they're not duplicating people, ensuring they have an accurate count.

"The numbers give you some degree of what's taking place, but... the numbers are very fluid," Turner said, adding that will be the case for several weeks.

12:30 p.m. The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Texas has surged past 2,000, and 27 deaths here have been related to the new coronavirus, according to the latest analysis from the Chronicle's Jordan Rubio. The tally includes 493 in the eight-county Houston region.

Mayor @SylvesterTurner announces the city's # of confirmed COVID-19 cases has jumped to 232, from 69; 1 other death has been attributed to the disease in the city. 3 more police officers have tested positive, bringing total to 7.



"The numbers will rise as we continue testing." — Dylan McGuinness (@dylmcguinness) March 28, 2020

Large metropolitan areas like Harris County haven't yet provided an updated count on Saturday, so those numbers are expected to rise.

There are now cases in 114 of Texas' 254 counties, and 25,260 people have been tested for the virus in the state. Private labs have accounted for more than 22,000 of those tests.

Check out Chronicle graphs and maps that are tracking the rise in cases here.

12 p.m. President Donald Trump said Saturday he is considering a two-week quarantine order on New York and certain parts of New Jersey and Connecticut.

"I'm thinking about that right now," Trump told reporters outside the White House. "We might not have to do it, but there's a possibility that sometime today we'll do a quarantine, short term, two weeks, on New York, probably New Jersey, certain parts, and Connecticut."

11:40 a.m. Brazoria County is reporting nine new cases of COVID-19, four of whom are 40 years old or younger, bringing the county's total count to 61.

WATCH: NEWS President Trump says he is considering an enforceable quarantine of hot spots in northeast to restrict travel. #coronavirus pic.twitter.com/luFfAL2vfv — Kelly O'Donnell (@KellyO) March 28, 2020

Details about the new cases are below, per the county's news release.

Case 1 – The individual is a female between the ages of 85-95 and resides in Freeport. She is hospitalized.

Case 2 – The individual is a female between the ages of 25-35 and resides in Pearland. She is recovering in home isolation.

Case 3 – The individual is a female between the ages of 70-80 and resides in Rosharon. She is recovering in home isolation.

Case 4 – The individual is a male between the ages of 70-80 and resides in Rosharon. He is recovering in home isolation.

Cases 3 & 4 – These individuals reside in the same household and are linked to a previously reported case.

Case 5 – The individual is a female between the ages of 30-40 and resides in Manvel.

Case 6 – The individual is a female between the ages of 30-40 and resides in Pearland.

Case 7 – The individual is a male between the ages of 50-60 and resides in Rosharon. He is recovering in home isolation.

Case 8 – The individual is a male between the ages of 20-30 and resides in Pearland.

Case 9 – The individual is a female between the ages of 50-60 and resides in Rosharon. She is recovering in home isolation.

The announcement means the eight-county Houston region now has 492 confirmed cases.

10:50 a.m. Texas Department of Public Safety troopers will begin manning the state's airports Saturday to enforce an executive order from Gov. Greg Abbott that anyone traveling from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut or New Orleans self-quarantine for 14 days.

The troopers will screen passengers arriving from those locations and require them to fill out a form with identifying information, according to a news release from the agency. They'll be asked to provide their name, date of birth, flight information, driver license or passport number, telephone number, home address and the location where they will be quarantining.

"As part of the department’s efforts to ensure compliance with the Governor’s Executive Order, DPS Special Agents will conduct unannounced visits at the quarantine locations listed on the forms completed by travelers," the agency said.

Those who violate the order could face a fine of up to $1,000 and up to 180 days in jail.

The order takes effect noon Saturday.

10:15 a.m. The Astros' spring training facility in West Palm Beach, Fla., will now be used as a coronavirus testing center.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Fitteam Ballpark of the Palm Beaches will begin accepting patients soon, the Chronicle's Chandler Rome writes.

That county in Florida has had 241 confirmed cases and five deaths.

Spring training was cut short in mid-March amid the outbreak, and it's unclear when — or if — it will pick back up this year. Major League Baseball and the players' union agreed to a deal this week that had no framework for a regular-season schedule. Commissioner Rob Manfred said he's still hopeful they can start gearing back up in May.

Meanwhile, the Astros closed Minute Maid Park to players, in accordance with the "Stay Home, Work Safe" order issued by Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo.

9:50 a.m. Now needed for teaching? Tenderness, tenacity and lots of tech support, per the Chronicle's Jacob Carpenter.

Educators used to heading a classroom are now utilizing Google Classroom, iStation, Odysseyware, Seesaw and Zoom — the online programs that serve as the lifeline between teachers and students.

That's made Elizabeth Ortega, a teacher at Royalwood Elementary School in Sheldon ISD, feel like a makeshift member of Best Buy's Geek Squad, fielding calls and messages about the digital cornucopia.

“Not all parents are very tech-savvy, and they need a lot of help,” said Ortega. “I’ve spent so much of my time showing parents how to log into Google.”

It's worth it, though, when the technology works.

9:20 a.m. Lone Star College-Kingwood has loaned eight ventilators, five nebulizers and 75 personal protective equipment kits to area hospitals on the front lines of the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, the Chronicle's Savannah Mehrtens reports.

Houston Methodist Baytown received three ventilators, and CHI St. Luke's in the Woodlands and HCA Houston Healthcare Kingwood got two apiece. They also split the nebulizers, which turn liquid asthma medicine into a fine mist that is inhaled through the lungs. Ventilators pump air into the lungs through a tube inserted into a patient’s windpipes.

9:15 a.m. The living room is now the home office, the kids are the ones urging you to go outside, and interviews are conducted in the bedroom closet, where the acoustics are best. That's part of the new normal, writes the Chronicle's Lisa Gray.

She finds hope in the Houston spirit of camaraderie and kinship. One Houstonian has taken to Tinder to recruit N95 masks that can be sent to hospitals. Crowdsource Rescue, the group that grew out of Harvey, linking people needing to be rescued to strangers with boats, has activated for the pandemic. People are pre-paying their hairdresser, lawn guy and anyone who needs it.

And then there's those Zoom cocktail parties.

Read Gray's full essay here.

8:48 a.m. Texas' statewide count of confirmed cases is just under 2,000 as of early Saturday morning, with 26 deaths.

The tally includes nearly 500 in the eight-county Houston region, numbers that are expected to continue rising as testing comes online.

A model conducted by the University of Texas School of Public Health found the cases could peak two weeks and burn out by mid-May if Harris County's stay-home order remains in place.

Check out graphs and maps that are tracking the rise in cases here.