NEW: Dallas County Reports 1,164 Additional Positive 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Cases and 9 Deaths

“Today’s numbers continue the trend that we are seeing. @GovAbbott is now on record agreeing with me that things will get worse before they get better. It’s imperative that we all wear our masks 100 % of the time when we are around other people outside of our own family.

It you suspect that you are ill, wear your mask 100 % of the time, even in your own home. Remember, your mask protects others and their mask protects you. In the workplace, it’s very important to wear our mask.

If someone turns out to be sick in the workplace and 100 % masking protocol has not been utilized, then you can have a situation where several people must go home and isolate even though they’re not feeling sick, all because one person was #COVID19 positive.

However, if distancing and masking is used 100 % of the time, group lunches are avoided, and shared tools are avoided 100 % of the time, then only the person who is sick will need to isolate because they won’t have any close contacts.

Close contacts are defined as those that are unmasked and within 6 feet for a total cumulative time of 10-15 minutes or more, while around someone with #COVID19 during the time they were symptomatic or 48 hours before they showed symptoms.

Restaurants continue to be a major source of concern for the medical community as are all venues where masks cannot be worn 100 % of the time. Please do not frequent any venue where masks cannot be worn by everyone 100 % of the time.

It’s up to all of us to #FlattenTheCurve and the best way to do that is to #StayHomeSaveLives. When you must leave your home, leave it only for work and necessities, including exercising at a safe distance.

Even when you don’t think you’ll be around other people, please take a mask with you because you never know when interactions will occur and you’ll need to put your mask on.

Finally, don’t touch the front of your mask. Proper mask etiquette is attached.

If you touch the front of your mask where you’re sucking in all the air around you, that’s the dirtiest part of the mask & the dirtiest part of anything on your body, & then if you touch your eyes or nose, you can infect yourself that way...

... So it’s important that we all use good mask protocols all the time.