Could Harris County go to ‘red alert’ on coronavirus threat scale?

HOUSTON – A couple of weeks ago, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo announced a color-coded, four-level scale that is meant to inform the public of the coronavirus threat in the county.

Level 4, which is green, means residents can resume normal activities. Level 1, which is red, means residents should stay home. As of 1:40 p.m. Monday, the county is at Level 2, which is orange, meaning residents should minimize all contacts as there is a significant and uncontrolled level of coronavirus in the county.

Dr. Peter Hotez, an infectious disease expert at Baylor College of Medicine, said that Houston is on track to become one of the worst-affected places in the country by the pandemic and that more action is needed to stem the disease’s progression. He said one of the ways to do that would be to move the county to a “red alert.”

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo on Monday shared Hotez’s concern, saying she is worried the county may need to be moved up to red soon.

“The seven-day trend in hospitalizations and the 14-day trend in hospitalizations are continuing to rise and continuing to speed up. So, those trends are accelerating,” Hidalgo said. “I am very, very concerned about what I’m seeing.”

Hidalgo said that leaders are evaluating data to determine if moving to red would slow down the spread of the virus before hospitals in the county run out of room.

The judge urged people to wear masks when out in public and minimize their contacts with people outside of their home so that a red alert does not become necessary.

You can watch a replay of her news conference below.