Hidalgo appoints czar to oversee Harris County’s emergence from coronavirus pandemic

HOUSTON – Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo on Monday introduced the person who will lead the county’s efforts to recover from the coronavirus pandemic.

According to Hidalgo, the case count for Harris County outside of Houston city limits as of Sunday is 47 new cases and three new deaths. You can check county totals here.

Harris County coronavirus czar

Hidalgo announced that she and Mayor Sylvester Turner established two relief and recovery czars. The county czar is Texas State Rep. Armando Walle (D-Houston). Hidalgo said Turner will announce the city czar Monday afternoon.

Hidalgo said the goal of county and city leaders is to ensure that recovery is fast, effective and coordinated and that people and businesses don’t fall through the cracks.

“The reason we want to start now, in the thick of this crisis ... is because people can’t wait,” Hidalgo said. “Every day that passes, folks struggle. It’s another day of misery and stress. The impacts to the community are huge and we are lucky there are resources available now.”

The czars will represent the county and city to carry out the work that will help the underprivileged community as much as possible, Hidalgo said. The position is not honorary or symbolic, that is why Walle was selected, Hidalgo said. According to Hidalgo, he has a record of getting stuff done.

Walle said the community has the opportunity to show the country how to move forward. People should continue to follow guidelines and practice social distancing.

The position is unpaid and there is no conflict of interest between his law firm and the work he will do with the community, according to Walle.

Still not over

Just because Hidalgo and Turner are naming czars, does not mean the crisis is over.

All people have done is stay away from one another so contagion doesn’t happen, and that has helped significantly, but there is more work to be done, according to Hidalgo.

Last week, Hildago announced the county was expanding testing criteria to include asymptomatic people who think they may have come in contact with a positive person. First responders take priority. Register at readyharris.org.

When Harris County hits the peak and is already well into the valley is when there will be talks about completely reopening, Hidalgo said. That day will be sooner if people continue to stay home and adhere to guidelines set by health officials. The speed at which the community reopens depends entirely on the people.

Reopening the county

The county has been in close communication with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott about reopening the state, Hidalgo said. The county has to continue watching hospital capacity. We have not reached it yet, but we are not in the clear, Hidalgo said.

Hidalgo said officials have to abide by recommendations by Abbott, but they have to be mindful about keeping people safe. The more people come into contact with one another, the more cases the community will see, so Hidalgo is urging people to not relax their efforts, because if they do, the situation could get worse.

According to Hidalgo, it looks like the curve has flattened, but the possibility of another curve depends on how the community reacts as the county reopens.

The reopening will have to be tiered and officials will have to keep a close eye on the data. Hidalgo said people will have to keep social distancing even when things reopen.

Things to note

Hidalgo said renters should remember that landlords do not have the right to evict. However, people will have to pay rent at some point. There are talks about how to expand funds meant to help those in the most need.

There are talks about making masks mandatory in the county, but Hidalgo, Turner and other officials want to make sure there are enough resources available, among other things, before making that decision.

You can watch the full news conference below: