Coronavirus live updates: New case reported in Houston, rodeo canceled

Alfredo Gutierrez, left, fills out paperwork as Conner Scott donates plasma at Houston Methodist Hospital on Friday, May 15, 2020 in Houston. Scott, a sophomore at Texas A&M University, has donated his plasma for a Houston Methodist study seven times since recovering from COVID-19 in late March. He researched plasma treatments himself before deciding to contribute. “It’s pretty selfish if I have something that could help people and I’m not doing anything about it,” he said. less Alfredo Gutierrez, left, fills out paperwork as Conner Scott donates plasma at Houston Methodist Hospital on Friday, May 15, 2020 in Houston. Scott, a sophomore at Texas A&M University, has donated his plasma ... more Photo: Brett Coomer, Staff Photographer Photo: Brett Coomer, Staff Photographer Image 1 of / 99 Caption Close Coronavirus live updates: New case reported in Houston, rodeo canceled 1 / 99 Back to Gallery

UPDATE (10:44 a.m., 3/12/20): For our live coverage of Thursday, March 12, follow this link.

10:10 p.m. Lakewood Church closed its weekend services to the public, instead opting to broadcast the events online in the wake of the public health emergency declaration in Houston, according to a Facebook post from the church.

Services will be broadcast on Facebook, YouTube, Roku, Apple TV, on the web and on Sirius XM channel 128. The services will be broadcast at the following times:

Saturday at 7:00 p.m.

Sunday at 8:30 a.m. & 11:00 a.m.

Sunday at 2:00 p.m. (Spanish Language Services)

Sunday at 7:00 p.m. (Young Adult Service)

8:55 p.m. Houston health officials have announced an additional positive case of COVID-19 in the city, bringing the total Houston-area cases to 15.

The new case involved a woman between 15 to 25 years old who recently traveled to New York state, the Houston Health Department said. She is quarantined in her home and experiencing mild symptoms.

8:45 p.m. The NBA has suspended its season, according to ESPN.

Utah Jazz' Rudy Gobert tested positive for the new coronavirus, and the league will remain on hiatus until further notice, ESPN reports.

Additionally, Tom Hanks and his wife, Rita Wilson, announced they have also tested positive for the coronavirus, according to The New York Times. The actor is in Australia, where he was set to film a movie about the life of Elvis Presley, The Times reported.

8:30 p.m. During an address from the Oval Office, President Donald Trump announced that his administration will restrict all travel from Europe for the next 30 days.

The new limits will go into affect Friday. The United Kingdom will be exempt from the new restrictions.

8:20 p.m. CHI St. Luke's Health implemented a new regional policy that will restrict the number of visitors allowed for each patient, the health system announced.

The new policy affects seven hospitals in the Houston area, including Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center. CHI St. Luke's Health hospitals in The Woodlands and Sugar Land will also be affected.

The policy restricts the number of visitors for non-isolation patients to two adults per day. For patients in isolation, only one adult visitor is allowed per day. The new policy also limits the number of entry points at each facility. Visitors may be asked to wear a mask, gown, or gloves depending on the health condition of the patient. Visitors may be screened upon entering the hospitals.

7:25 p.m. The Houston Independent School District will limit all campus visitors, including parents and volunteers, from March 23 to April 3, the district announced.

Classes will resume for the remainder of this week. The district will be closed the following week for spring break.

Starting March 23, parents will only be allowed to pick and drop off their students. Visitors with scheduled business must be screened by a district nurse before they're allowed on campus , the district said.

Additionally, all after-school activities and large campus gatherings, including Parent University on March 24, also will be canceled during that time.

"Plans are in place should the district’s Health and Medical Services Department receive guidance from officials concerning the need to close schools as a precautionary measure," according to the district statement.

6:25 p.m. Classes at the University of Houston will be canceled next week in response to the health emergency in the city, university President Renu Khator announced.

The campus will remain open, she said, but faculty and staff have the option to work remotely. Classes will continue online March 23, she said.

Students who live on the campus are encouraged to stay home, but dorms will be open for those returning from spring break, she said.

4:40 p.m. Nobody panic: You can still wait in line at the DMV.

Texas Department of Motor Vehicles offices around Texas remain open, spokesman Adam Shaivitz told Chronicle reporter Dug Begley. Any changes will be announced publicly, in coordination with health officials federally and across Texas.

“Hand sanitizers are readily available in our public entrances and in restrooms,” Shaivitz said in an email. “We are also working with our cleaning service providers to arrange more frequent and thorough cleaning of facilities.”

3:50 p.m. NCAA President Mark Emmert announced that the league's upcoming championship events -- including the Division I men's and women's basketball tournaments -- will be conducted with only essential staff and limited family attendance.

The University of Houston was scheduled to host the South Regional round of the March Madness tournament March 27 and 29 at the Toyota Center. In a prepared statement, health officials with the NCAA's COVID-19 Advisory Panel recommended against opening sporting events to the public.

"We do believe sporting events can take place with only essential personnel and limited family attendance, and this protects our players, employees and fans," according to the statement.

Additionally, the governor of Ohio issued an order to restrict spectator access to indoor sporting events because of concerns about the new coronavirus, the Associated Press reported.

3:15 p.m.: COVID-19 panic has closed a lot of things, but Metropolitan Transit Authority is not one of them. Buses and trains remain running, but with a lot of reminders to passengers and staff to scrub vigorously.

“The way we are working this is listening to and taking the lead of our public health officials,” Metro spokesman Jerome Gray told Chronicle reporter Dug Begley.

Metro will change or alter bus and light rail routes if public health officials think it's warranted, Gray said.

“We’re not there yet,” he stressed. “We’re not near there yet.”

Last week, Metro announced it was taking extra efforts to clean buses, trains, transit stations and shelters. Those efforts continue, along with public service signs and announcements encouraging good hygiene habits.

It's too soon to see the coronavirus's effect on bus and train use, he said. It is likely the cancellation of the rodeo will reduce March ridership totals for Metro, but Gray said officials are not concerned. Ridership often ebbs and flows and typically the agency looks at its long-term trends, which remain steady in terms of ridership.

Transit in the past four years has been suspended or altered by severe flooding, such as during Hurricanes Harvey and Imelda. The process would be slightly different for a public health emergency.

“We are going to do whatever city leaders and public health officials tell us to do,” he said of closing transit to contain the virus. “If need be we would certainly do that, but that is not in our near horizon that I know of.”

3:00 p.m.: The University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston is changing its visitor policies as public health authorities in counties to the north make emergency declarations.

Patients can receive two hospital visitors 18 years or older at this time and only healthy visitors are allowed to accompany patients in ambulances or for outpatient procedures, UT authorities said.

The move follows other hospitals in the region, which have issued similar warnings.

Meanwhile, local nonprofits are calling for aid as a possible outbreak could spell serious trouble for some of the community's most impoverished.

Chronicle reporter Marcy de Luna reports that nonprofits are seeking volunteers and donations in preparation.

“The poverty-stricken are greatly impacted by economic fluctuations and we need our volunteers and donors now more than ever,” said Kids’ Meals director of development and communications Cynthia Stielow.

The timing also can't be worse for some of Houston's religious leaders. Three major religious holidays in April usually bring spikes in tithes and donations, Chronicle reporter Robert Downen writes.

“Everybody should be anticipating shortfalls in giving, shortfalls in collections,” said Garet Robinson, a local pastor who is currently studying nonprofits at Harvard University. “It’s a global contagion — and not just the actual viral part, but the ripple effect in the economy.”

1:45 p.m.: Rodeo’s cancellation could have a big impact on Houston’s economy.

Chronicle reporters Erin Douglas and R.A. Schuetz write that the city stands to lose tens of millions of dollars in economic activity as vendors, tourists and livestock show participants pack up and head home far sooner that expected.

Last year, the show and rodeo generated $227 million in economic impact and 3,700 jobs.

The Montgomery County patient attended rodeo on Feb. 28 for the cookoff, and potentially Feb. 27 and Feb. 29, Montgomery County Hospital District spokesperson Misti Willingham tells Chronicle reporter Emily Foxhall. Officials were working to clarify the dates with the patient and expected to have another update Wednesday afternoon.

After the World Health Organization declared a pandemic, the Dow fell sharply, dropping 20 percent from its February high, Bloomberg reports.

LATEST: The Dow falls 20% from a February closing high and into bear market territory https://t.co/7JYYNipMTd pic.twitter.com/SzS9am7fBV — Bloomberg (@business) March 11, 2020

1:30 p.m.: Three schools and districts in the greater Houston area became the first to announce school cancellations due to concerns about the spread of the novel coronavirus, reporter Jacob Carpenter writes.

Montgomery ISD officials canceled classes for the remainder of the week after public health officials reported the first case of COVID-19 in the county. The district goes on spring break next week.

Two small Houston-area private schools – Saint Thomas’ Episcopal School in Meyerland and The Joy School in the Museum District – also announced closures. A Saint Thomas student and two Joy School "community members" were possibly exposed to COVID-19.

Both will close their campuses for two weeks, including next week's spring break.

Several Houston-area districts are conducting classes as usual, including Houston, Alief and Spring Branch ISDs. Leaders of those districts said they remain in close contact with federal, state and local health officials about decisions surrounding school cancelations and safety precautions.

HISD officials said several people affiliated with the district are self-quarantining after returning from a country on a federal travel warning list or closely associating with someone who did.

1:15 p.m.: The Montgomery County man who has been diagnosed with COVID-19 attended the rodeo BBQ cookoff, county officials said.

There is no evidence he attended any of the rodeo concerts, but public health officials are trying to determine if he had symptoms then and where else he may have gone in recent days.

12:50 p.m.: Rodeo officials said they will begin processing refunds and close the fairgrounds at 4 p.m.

Turner says there's no evidence the Montgomery County man who tested positive for #coronavirus attended any of the @RODEOHOUSTON concerts, but he may have attended the barbecue cook-off. Hidalgo says it's unsure if he had symptoms at the time. — Jasper Scherer (@jaspscherer) March 11, 2020

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said that she will issue a disaster declaration for Harris County, Chronicle reporter Jasper Scherer writes.

12:45 p.m.: Mayor Sylvester Turner is implementing a seven-day emergency health declaration, Chronicle reporter Dylan McGuinness writes.

Other city-sponsored events, like the Tour De Houston, will also be canceled.

“This decision has not come easily, but the health and safety of the people in our region is paramount," Turner said.

Howdy from the presser, where officials just confirmed this @mmorris011 report.



Turner says he is signing a 7-day emergency health declaration. Stresses that Montgomery Co. case announced yesterday was not related to travel, “and that changed things.”https://t.co/0WEZHjLCEI — Dylan McGuinness (@dylmcguinness) March 11, 2020

The goal is to prevent "what happened in Wuhan," where the virus spread rapidly, Houston Health Department head David Persse said.

12:30 p.m.: Across the county, cities are putting a moratorium on big social gatherings.

San Francisco Mayor London Breed banned mass gatherings of more than 1,000 people, including Golden State Warriors games and private events, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

Warriors games will be played without fans in the stands.

Two counties south in Santa Clara County, public health officials have banned groups of more than 1,000 people starting Wednesday. The ban is in effect for three weeks.

The ban came hours after the Grand Princess cruise ship carrying 3,500 passengers docked at the Port of Oakland in Alameda County, a county northeast of Santa Clara County, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. Twenty-one cruise passengers have tested positive for the virus.

Meanwhile in Houston, confusion abounded at RodeoHouston as carnival rides and food vendors shut down. Visitors are waiting to hear if rodeo officials will issue refunds for fairgrounds tickets and concerts.

And some expressed rage about the cancellation of one of Houston’s biggest events, citing larger businesses like Disney World, which has not announced any closures.

Pretty surreal to be at the rodeo as officials are saying that it will be canceled because of coronavirus. Getting alot of "that's unfortunate" from people but some say they understand. #RODEOHOUSTON2020 pic.twitter.com/nD4vKgkpvb — Brooke Lewis (@brookelewisa) March 11, 2020

12:00 p.m.: Some Houstonians said canceling rodeo was the right call. On Twitter Wednesday, they criticized the event's staff for cleaning the buildings and surfaces with vinegar, rather than commercial disinfectant sprays.

Good morning to everyone except the 11,000 people who signed the petition to cancel the rodeo#RODEOHOUSTON2020 https://t.co/j3mpjSp5Ig — ALYSSA MAY (@AlyssaMayMusic) March 11, 2020

So again I ask, what about places like Disney World, Six Flags, etc? They see far more international guests than the Rodeo. 🦠🙄#RODEOHOUSTON2020 — Monica👾 (@theoriginalmon) March 11, 2020

Others were dismayed about the cancellation of Friday's Lizzo concert, when the Houston-raised pop star was slated to perform. Some got creative about how they were going to listen to "Truth Hurts" and "Good as Hell."

They were out here sanitizing with vingear instead of bleach 😷🤧 #houstonrodeo2020 pic.twitter.com/R2XMHgOVcH — Stephanie E Suarez (@geologiststephy) March 11, 2020



Houston officials were expected to announce that the city’s six remaining capital improvement plan meetings will be canceled, according to multiple city sources. Mayor Sylvester Turner and council members use the annual meetings to gather feedback from residents for the city’s five-year infrastructure plan, which is updated each year with new and revised projects.

No more rodeo means I’m wearing boots around my apartment Friday night deep frying some Oreos with Lizzo blasting in the back — Vic Stroffolino (@VicStroffolino) March 11, 2020

@lizzo since seeing you at the rodeo is canceled if you still plan on coming to Houston you are more than welcome to come over and be best friends.... #RODEOHOUSTON — Cassidy E. Smith (@CassidyESmith) March 11, 2020

The remaining meetings were set to take place in council districts C, D, F, G, H and K through March 26.

11:45 a.m.: The World Health Organization has declared the coronavirus a pandemic.

The organization's director, Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said there are "alarming levels of spread and severity" worldwide.

"We expect to see the number of COVID-19 cases, the number of deaths and the number of affected countries climb even higher," Tedros said.

11:30 a.m.: City officials are expected to announce Wednesday that the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo will be canceled, sources said.

As fears swirl about a possible outbreak of COVID-19, the illness associated with the new coronavirus, Mayor Sylvester Turner is expected to announce that the massive, weeks-long event and concert series will be cut short.

🚨 BREAKING 🚨



"We have therefore made the assessment that #COVID19 can be characterized as a pandemic"-@DrTedros #coronavirus pic.twitter.com/JqdsM2051A — World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) March 11, 2020

In a statement on Saturday, organizers said that RodeoHouston primarily was a local event.

“The Rodeo is predominantly a local event, with 73 percent of the 2019 rodeo visitors residing in the greater Houston area, 94 percent in Texas, and 99 percent in the U.S.,” the statement read. “In contrast, 26 percent of the 2019 SXSW attendees were international.”

The announcement follows the news about a Montgomery County man who tested “presumptively positive” for COVID-19.

The man in his 40s has been hospitalized since Tuesday and those in close contact with him in the northwest part of the county are being monitored, said Melissa Miller, of the Montgomery County Hospital District.

Public health officials are waiting on additional confirmation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, she said.

Miller would not say how long the man has been symptomatic or elaborate on the condition of his health. It was not yet known how he contracted the illness or where.

Most COVID-19 cases in Harris and Fort Bend counties have been linked to a Nile river cruise in Egypt.

Read here for more coverage of the coronavirus from the Houston Chronicle.