Coronavirus cases continue to rise in East Texas

TYLER — Coronavirus cases continue to rise in East Texas. On Wednesday, George Roberts told KTBB why. “Much of the spread is happening in our day-to-day interaction in the community. Notice, the traffic is increasing, and people are getting back to more and more of their day-to-day routines and that is causing potentially some of the spread. The NET Health President/CEO went on to say, “We’ve also noticed people having COVID fatigue, which is the idea of being tired of wearing a mask, people are tired of social distancing… We really encourage people to do those things and practice those habits that we have talked about over the last few months.”

The past week showed a total of 494 cases in Smith County. With another 125 to start the work week. The same period for Gregg County indicates 223 cases last week, and 35 on Monday. Roberts continued, “Whether we like it or not, the virus is still with us. I’ve seen evidence on both sides challenging masks. But, if you think about it, if you are really trying to love your neighbor and protect your fellow man…A mask is one of the things, among several, that you can try to protect others from you. You may be infected with COVID-19 and not know it. So please in your interactions with the community, stay home when you are sick, practice social distancing, wear a mask, wash your hands…If we will do that, I think we can get through this thing together. But again, the virus is not done with us yet.”