City buildings and facilities in Grand Prairie have begun restrictions to the public due to the spread of COVID-19.
Essential staff will still be working and services such as police, firefighters and EMS will be available.
The City of Grand Prairie said all essential services have "protocols in place to protect first responders so they can continue to serve residents."
The city is encouraging online services to be used by residents, which can help prevent a large number of people in one place at a time. Residents can find forms to contact all of the city's offices; the number for City Hall is 972-237-8000.
Mayor Ron Jensen said it wasn't an easy decision to make, but it was necessary to help deal with the coronavirus.
“These decisions were not made lightly,” he said in a news release. “City officials have been working diligently and have had to make difficult decisions to help mitigate the spread of this virus. We realize the disruption to your business and personal lives will be extremely impactful, as it is to our community. However, if left unchecked, the virus would quickly overtake our health care system, creating chaos and no chance of survival for many.”
An ordinance was also approved last week to slow down the spread of the coronavirus.
It will keep gatherings at 10 or fewer people; ban dine-in service and only allow drive-thru, take out, curbside pick-up or delivery at restaurants; and close bars, gyms, movie theaters, massage studios and other entertainment or event centers. It will limit the capacities at retail, convenience stores, malls and churches. These places will be required to only serve 50% of their occupancy or allow 125 people depending on which is the smaller number.
Alerts Sign-up