TMC Report and UPDATE | May 7, 2020, 4:30 p.m.: At a Thursday afternoon news briefing, Mayor Sylvester Turner announced 88 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the cases for the city of Houston to 4,227. In addition, he reported three more deaths, bringing that total to 85.
“This is just a reminder with these numbers that this virus is still prevalent in our community and we need to continue to engage in social distancing and wearing our face coverings,” Turner said. “That’s critically important.”
Joining the mayor virtually was Tina Knowles Lawson, who spoke about her work with daughter Beyoncé’s BeyGOOD foundation to offer expanded COVID-19 testing in Houston this coming Mother’s Day weekend.
Knowles Lawson stressed the importance of testing in order to curb the spread of COVID-19 within communities.
“If we can play some part in keeping those numbers down, that would make me really, really happy,” she said. “I’m just so proud of Houston for being at the forefront and for keeping the numbers down, but I just encourage everyone to go get tested. It’s really, really important.”
COVID-19 Recovery Czar Marvin Odum also introduced an expanded program aimed at increasing testing access and equity as well as the Houston Health Department’s plan to significantly add to its contact tracing workforce. Turner and Odum said both testing and contact tracing were critical to protecting Houstonians as the city moves into the first phases of reopening.