Articles tagged: coronavirus
The Museum of Fine Arts Houston’s Botched COVID-19 Precautions
The Museum of Fine Arts Houston was one of the first major American art museums to reopen its doors to the public after a month long closure due to the pandemic. As the art world lavished praise on the institution for its bold plans, employees tell a very different story.
Last November, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, pulled off the nearly impossible: Despite a global pandemic, an economic recession, and even a hurricane scare,...Read More
Editorial: Even ‘Turning Texas Blue’ Won’t Fix Us If We Don’t Face Some Hard Truths
This year has shown us that the way we care for one another, or for some and not others, isn’t about who we are as Democrats or Republicans but about what we believe as people.
From the May/June 2021 issue. “This is like the Hunger Games!” some version of this exclamation, often peppered with curse words and red-faced anger e...Read More
How Flawed Death Investigations Can Leave Texas COVID-19 Deaths Uncounted
According to a new study, undercounts of COVID-19 deaths appear worst in rural and suburban areas served by elected justices of the peace.
Rick Hill, a retired high school principal, plays a key role in tracing deaths linked to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. As an elected justice of the peace (JP) ...Read More
Portraits of the Pandemic: Part Two
One year in, we revisit Texans who shared their COVID-19 stories last summer.
By Texas Observer Staff Illustrations by John Jay Cabuay From the March/April 2021 issue. O ne year into the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of Texans have now been...Read More
Editorial: Texas Wasn’t Prepared for the Statewide Vaccine Rush
My elderly parents’ experience getting the COVID-19 vaccine highlights problems with Texas’ overall pandemic response.
When my parents, Joe and Zelma Brockman, arrived at a Grand Prairie clinic for their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, they were expecting a wait. They’d dr...Read More
Lege in the Time of Coronavirus
An uncontrolled pandemic. An economic crisis. A bruising loss for Democrats. The Texas Legislature is back in session.
Lege in the Time of Coronavirus An uncontrolled pandemic. An economic crisis. A bruising loss for Democrats. The Texas Legislature is back in session. By Justin...Read More
A Weird End for a Weird Year: Our Eight Favorite Strange Texas Stories of 2020
A wild horse chase, an alligator with a big appetite, and a cloned cat made this year a little stranger—in a good way.
As we near the end of 2020, we can only hope this cursed year has no more curve balls to throw our way. After all, we’ve weathered a global pandemic that has ...Read More
Out of Sight, Out of Mind
COVID-19 has increased separation and isolation at a time of crisis for incarcerated people and their families.
Justin Phillips didn’t have much of a relationship left with his 5-year-old son by the time he was sentenced to 10 years in prison on drug charges in 2016. ...Read More
COVID-19 Response has Been Starkly Different for Indigenous Communities in Texas
While coronavirus rates remain high, officials have taken unprecedented actions not found anywhere else in the state.
On March 23, the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas issued its first stay-at-home order. In April, the tribe would restrict out-of-state travel, and in May, offic...Read More