If you think that the COVID-19 numbers in the 400 - 500 range are bad, you should really sit down for Thursday's new COVID-19 positive cases. El Paso officials announced that there are 717 new COVID-19 cases this morning. That doesn't mean that the cases all happened within the past couple of days, but rather, that is the number of cases that have been reported to the Department of Public Health. Those tests come in from state-run and privately-run testing sites. They could also be a couple of weeks old depending on when the tests were administered and how long it took for the results to be reported to the Department of Public Health.

Because of the skyrocketing cases, EPISD, Canutillo ISD, and Socorro ISD are extending their fall intercessions for another week, and they are still trying to get a waiver from the Texas Education Agency to keep kids at home until the spring semester. With Thursday's numbers, they might have made their case.

Here is a rundown of the new restrictions that were put into place this morning by City and County health officials:

As of midnight Friday:

Restaurants will be limited occupancy back to 50%, as with all non-essential businesses. After 9 p.m. restaurants will only be able to do take out and drive-thru only.

Bars remain closed.

Gatherings in parks are restricted to fewer than 10 people or less.

There will be no indoor sports and outdoor sports will not be allowed to have spectators. UTEP and the Locomotive will be allowed to have games and can have spectators if they choose.

No outdoor gatherings going forward will be approved.

Nursing home visits are now put on hold.

Trick-or-treating is not allowed.

These rules do not impact polling locations.

If you get a positive result and have not been contacted by the Public Health Department, you need to call them within 24 hours. If you get a call from City of El Paso on your caller ID, answer it because it will be a contact tracer. If you aren't sure if it is a legitimate phone call, call the Department of Public Health at (915) 212-6520.

We will continue to update any new restrictions as they happen.

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