DALLAS (WBAP/KLIF) – Teams of North Texas firefighters continue to test local nursing homes for COVID-19, as directed by Governor Greg Abbott.
In response to the Governor’s order to have all staff members and residents at Texas nursing homes tested for COVID-19, The Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM), in collaboration with area fire chiefs, created a joint task force to provide regional testing for nursing homes in Collin, Dallas, Ellis, Hunt, Kaufman, Navarro and Rockwall Counties.
Local agencies represented on the task force include Dallas Fire-Rescue, Cedar Hill Fire Department, Plano Fire Rescue Department, Red Oak Fire Department, Desoto Fire Rescue Department, Ovilla Fire Department, Lewisville Fire Department, Corsicana Fire Department, Ennis Fire Department, Frisco Fire Department, Garland Fire Department, McKinney Fire Department, Richardson Fire Department, Sachse Fire Department as well as the Garland Office of Emergency Management.
“We’ve designed in it a way so that we can design testing squads go out to all the nursing homes within the seven counties and get it done more efficiently than we would as individual departments,” said Jason Evans with Dallas Fire-Rescue.
Evans expects testing at all 139 nursing homes in the seven counties to be completed by next week.
Listen to Clayton Neville’s story below:
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