Coronavirus News

First Baptist Dallas Church had COVID-19 positives during VP visit

The event was billed as half religious gathering, half political rally.

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A Dallas church that Vice President Mike Pence visited on June 28 has had half a dozen members who've tested positive for the coronavirus.

According to Buzzfeed News, at least five members of the choir and orchestra at First Baptist Dallas church contracted COVID-19 in the weeks prior to Pence's visit.

An additional member of the orchestra had symptoms and was awaiting test results.

None of the people with positive cases were at the services, but they maybe-definitely had exposure before his visit.

One orchestra member who tested positive played the trumpet. Buzzfeed notes that wind instruments and choirs are higher risk because of the droplets they spread.

Photos of the event showed the choir and orchestra performing without masks.

Called "Freedom Sunday," the service was billed as part religious gathering, part political rally. Gov. Greg Abbott attended, as did Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson.

On June 3, Abbott allowed religious services to resume with no limits on occupancy.

Buzzfeed has a timeline as follows:

June 10: a percussionist started experiencing COVID-19 symptoms.
June 14: the choir and orchestra performed at two Sunday services. Within a week, three more musicians tested positive.
June 18: a soprano in the choir tested positive.
June 19: another soprano in the choir and a bassist in the orchestra tested positive.

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E-Cigarette News

Dallas City Council places restrictions on vaping in public

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Man vaping

Vaping will now be banned exactly like smoking, thanks to a new ordinance from the Dallas City Council.

At their December 11 meeting, the council passed an ordinance to ban vaping in all the same areas where smoking is not allowed. It'll go into effect on December 11, 2025 — giving everyone a year to get into compliance.

Proposed by City of Dallas Environmental Commission (EVC) and the Office of Environmental Quality and Sustainability (OEQS), the ordinance amends the definition of “smoking” in the Dallas City Code to include the use of vaping devices.

The ordinance does not ban vaping — it only bans where you can vape: no vaping in all indoor and enclosed spaces; within 15 feet of building entrances; and on park property. The ordinance also bans marijuana smoking in those same places.

In addition, the amendment requires restaurants, hotels, fitness centers and other businesses to update their signage to clearly state that both smoking and electronic smoking devices are prohibited.

The ordinance already earned widespread support from health organizations such as the Dallas County Health and Human Services, the American Lung Association, and the American Heart Association. These organizations, along with the World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the U.S. Surgeon General, have all raised concerns about the health risks of direct and second-hand exposure to vaping aerosols, particularly for vulnerable populations such as children and older adults.

Dallas is not the first city to impose such a ban: San Antonio enacted a similar ban in October. Theirs goes into effect on January 1, 2025.

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