Judge says El Paso coronavirus shutdown should stand; Paxton moves to appeal
EL PASO — A state court on Friday upheld the El Paso County judge’s order to temporarily shut down nonessential businesses as the number of COVID-19 cases continued to soar here, with hospitals so overwhelmed that patients are being airlifted to other cities, including Dallas.
The office of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton immediately filed an appeal. The office has argued that the order is illegal because it contradicts Gov. Greg Abbott’s statewide order to reopen businesses.
The flurry of activity came as the city reported an additional 1,300 cases, continuing a pattern of more than 1,000 cases per day, overwhelming the county’s health system and first-line responders. The county has set up four temporary morgues. The infection positivity rate is more than 23 percent.
The county’s death toll is 657, with 59,852 total infections. There are 23,702 active cases. Currently, 1,049 people are hospitalized in El Paso with COVID-19 and 311 are in intensive care.
Read more: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/texas/2020/11/06/judge-says-el-paso-coronavirus-shutdown-should-stand-paxton-moves-to-appeal/
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