BEAUMONT, Texas — It was a Wednesday afternoon when news broke that Coronavirus, at the time a mysterious virus that began to take grip on the world, had arrived in Southeast Texas.
A Beaumont woman was the first resident in our area to test positive for the virus on March 18, 2020.
"This is what we have been preparing for," Beaumont Mayor Becky Ames told 12News at the time.
Since that time, Southeast Texas has seen a rollercoaster of highs and lows when it comes to the virus.
March 13, 2020
Jefferson County Judge Jeff Branick confirms he is signing an order limiting public gatherings to 10, closing bars and restricting restaurants to take out only in the county.
The order encourages people to use curbside pickup options at grocery stores.
March 18, 2020
Jefferson County has its first positive test result for coronavirus according to a Wednesday release from the Beaumont Public Health Department.
According to the release, the person is a Beaumont resident.
The woman is quarantined, and her identity won't be released at this time.
Officials said in the release, "We understand this positive case may concern our community, but at this time there is no evidence of community spread. The immediate risk for Beaumont residents remains low."
March 26, 2020
Longtime Southeast Texas band director Mike Westbrook has died after contracting COVID-19.
Hardin-Jefferson High School remembered Westbrook, who has led the Big Blue Machine for 13 years, in a lengthy tweet Thursday afternoon.
"(Mike) was known for his jolly demeanor and was always ready to tell a good joke," HJISD said in a tweet. "He had worked tirelessly to revive our music program at HJ and had accomplished much success on the field and stage."
Area coaches and band directors have posted their condolences on private Facebook pages. Many describe Westbrook as an energetic and fun-loving guy.
"He was always an advocate for the students. Mike was not afraid to speak his mind when it came to giving his students th best learning environment possible. He set high expectations for his students but gave them endless encouragement to guide them in their pursuit.
Gov. Greg Abbott issued an executive order at a press conference on March 26 that requires people flying into Texas from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and New Orleans to be quarantined for 14 days or for the duration of their stay, whichever is shorter, to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 in Texas.
According to Gov. Abbott, the quarantine will be enforced by the Texas Department of Public Safety. Gov. Abbott said people flying in from the designated areas will have to fill out a form provided by DPS to identify where they will quarantine. DPS troopers will then conduct unannounced visits to the designated quarantine locations to verify compliance with the executive order.
March 27, 2020
The county judges of six counties issued a stay-at-home order Friday afternoon covering all of Southeast Texas.
The order, announced by Jefferson County Judge Jeff Branick during a news conference in Beaumont, will go into effect Friday night at 11:59 p.m. for Jefferson County.
The best way not to get the coronavirus is to avoid human interaction Branick said when announcing the order during the news conference at the Jefferson County Court House.
March 30, 2020
Texas Governor Greg Abbott expanded an executive order Sunday that requires people traveling into Texas by road from Louisiana to self-quarantine. That order went into effect Monday, March 30th at noon.
Abbott says that state troopers will be stopping motorists and anyone entering Texas will be required to self-quarantine for 14 days.
Troopers will not be establishing checkpoints along the Texas-Louisiana border but will be increasing patrols into these areas according to a Texas DPS spokesperson.
April 27, 2020
Gov. Greg Abbott announced he is allowing the "stay home" order in Texas to expire on Thursday, April 30.
"That executive order has done its job to slow the growth of COVID-19 and I will let it expire as scheduled," Abbott said. "Now, it's time to set a new course. A course that responsibly opens business in Texas. We will open in a way that uses safe standards."
Gov. Abbott also relaxed certain restrictions related to health care professionals and issued amended requirements related to hospital capacity.
One year later
Cases of COVID-19 peaked during the summer of 2020 and around the holiday season. Over the summer, 12News reported hundreds of new cases of the virus daily. But, since mid-January, cases of the virus have steadily declined.
Hospitalizations in Jefferson County still remains relatively high.
As of March 18, 2021, 12% of those in the hospital have the virus. That includes 14 people in ICU.
Numbers have remained relatively steady through the month of March.
