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Dallas County face mask policy is in effect through August

Friday afternoon, health officials said the novel coronavirus has become the third leading cause of death in Dallas County in 2020.

Dallas County health officials announced 395 new COVID-19 cases and 2 deaths Saturday afternoon. 

Judge Clay Jenkins says one of the ways to prevent coronavirus from spreading is by wearing a face mask. 

"Today we saw many stores putting up signs asking customers to wear a mask and we’ve seen a big improvement on compliance since the Court passed an order requiring masks yesterday," he tweeted.

Under the latest order, customers must wear a face mask when entering businesses in Dallas County or they may be asked to leave.

Friday morning, Dallas County Commissioners voted 3-2 and passed an amended ordinance. The order went into effect at midnight and ends on Aug. 4.

The amended version includes a $500 fine if a business fails to come up with a health and safety policy and post it "in a conspicuous location sufficient to provide notice to employees and visitors."  

An earlier version of the ordinance included language related to enforcement and a $1000 fine. Both of those references were deleted from the final version.  

The latest victims in Dallas County who died include two men in their 60s. 

One man lived at a long-term care facility, while the other man was a resident of Dallas and did not have any underlying health conditions, according to officials. 

There have been a countywide total of 16,437 cases and 313 deaths since testing started in March.

RELATED: Dallas County Commissioners Court passes amended face mask ordinance

For a daily roundup of the biggest coronavirus news from around North Texas and beyond, sign up for the WFAA COVID-19 email newsletter. 

Daily hospital capacity numbers

The city of Dallas released the following numbers as reported by the 25 hospitals Friday:

RELATED: Gov. Abbott says it’s up to lawyers not him to ensure local leaders understand executive orders

Tarrant County reports 180 new cases

Tarrant County health officials reported 180 new cases and one additional death related to COVID-19.

According to county health officials, the number of patients hospitalized rose to 275. Last Thursday, officials had reported record-high hospitalizations with 283 patients. 

There have been 4,087 residents who have recovered since testing began in March.

RELATED: MAP: These are the confirmed COVID-19 cases in the Dallas-Fort Worth area

Long wait times at drive-thru testing sites

For the third day straight, Dallas officials are warning residents that drive-thru testing sites are experiencing long wait times.

Saturday morning, the City of Dallas released a statement that the American Airlines Center and Ellis Davis Field House may have wait times of two hours or longer. 

Residents are encouraged to use the restroom in advance of their visit, to stay in their vehicles, and to have enough fuel. 

Other testing sites throughout Dallas may have shorter wait times. The locations can be found here. 

RELATED: How to get swab or antibody coronavirus test in Dallas-Fort Worth

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