Pharr, Texas – Amid the rapidly-evolving situation regarding the coronavirus (COVID-19), the City of Pharr and Mayor Ambrosio Hernandez, M.D., will be providing regular updates to keep the media and the public informed as information develops. City officials urge media outlets to please share with their respective reading, viewing and listening audiences.
City Commission Approves Order Continuing Emergency Declaration
At its regular meeting of the Pharr City Commission held on Monday, April 20, 2020, members of the Pharr City Commission approved an order continuing the declaration of disaster and public health emergency for the City of Pharr.
On March 13, 2020, Mayor Ambrosio Hernandez, M.D. declared a local state of disaster pursuant to Texas Government Code Section 418.108(a) due to COVID-19 and subsequently renewed the declaration on March 16, 2020, for 45 days. According to the Order approved on Monday, the City of Pharr declares it in the best interests of the health, safety, and welfare of the public to adopt this extension. The state of disaster and public health emergency will continue to be extended until terminated by the Pharr Board of Commissioners.
Update on Plans to Safely Reopen Pharr’s Economy
At the same City Commission meeting, Mayor Hernandez announced to the public that the City of Pharr is exploring plans to safely re-open the economy of Pharr, based on guidance and recommendations provided by Texas Governor Greg Abbott and following guidelines provided by the Centers for Disease Control. The city will be identifying and obtaining feedback and input from businesses in a variety of industries, to see how they plan to safely open up their businesses in accordance with the health and safety guidelines provided by local, county, state, and federal authorities and to ensure the health and safety of all residents, especially those most vulnerable and at risk of contracting COVID-19. Physical distancing measures, work-safe measures, and sanitary measures are among the guidelines that must be adhered to in order to ensure the safety and welfare of all patrons.
Hernandez stated, “We will be working with our business community because we want to know how you plan to safely open up your business, following the COVID-19 and CDC guidelines.”
Hernandez continued, “Together, we will also determine consequences for those businesses that are not in compliance with the safety guidelines, which will be enforced by the city.”
Without giving a specific timeline, Hernandez wanted to assure the community that plans are in the works to safely and responsibly re-open Pharr’s economy, soon. “We’re being proactive, we’re going to do what’s right, and we are going to move forward in a smart and responsible manner,” he added.
Fazoli’s Donates Free Meals to Pharr Families in Need Amid COVID-19 Pandemic
Mayor Ambrosio Hernandez, M.D., the Pharr City Commission, and PSJA ISD Culinary Arts program students accept a donation from Fazoli’s during their Grand Opening celebration in Pharr.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE TUESDAY, APRIL 21, 2020
Pharr, Texas – The City of Pharr is proud to announce a new initiative to help feed Pharr families in need in collaboration with Fazoli’s, and local school districts. The entities are working together to ensure that families most in need across the community have access to free meals, amid the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
“I’m happy to share that the City of Pharr has partnered with Fazoli’s restaurant, and plans are underway to provide free meals to our families most in need on a weekly basis,” said Mayor Ambrosio Hernandez. “I wholeheartedly want to thank Jerry Maddox, Fazoli’s owner, for opening his doors and being so generous during these uncertain times,” added Hernandez. “This is certainly a difficult time for many families in our community as jobs have been lost and children are now learning full-time from home without access to the meals they would normally receive every day at school,” he continued.
The Pharr City Commission, Jerry Maddox, and his business partner during the Fazoli’s Grand Opening celebration in Pharr
Fazoli’s announced that they will be providing about 70-100 free meals to Pharr families in need each week. Families selected to receive meals have been identified by local school districts.
Fazoli’s owner Jerry Maddox remarked, “When times get tough, it’s up to business leaders in the community to step up to the plate and deliver the needs of our community. What we are all going through has not been easy, but we need to do what’s best to make this situation better for our families.”
“We are extremely proud of the great work being done throughout the City of Pharr by our businesses, community organizations, and partners as we aim to get through this pandemic together,” said Hernandez. “What Fazoli’s and Jerry Maddox are doing shows that although we are facing a tough time, we are all doing our part to work together and share in the generous spirit of giving and humanity,” he added.
According to Fazoli’s national website, the Pharr, Texas franchisee and his team have been proactive in helping during the coronavirus pandemic by providing over 600 kids meals to the children in their community in 48 hours. In addition to free kids meals, the team also provided meals to emergency room doctors and nurses at Doctors Hospital at Renaissance.
Pharr Leading the Charge to Bridge Digital Divide During COVID-19 Crisis.
Efforts include urging federal legislators to expand broadband internet access for Pharr families.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 2020
U. S. Senator John Cornyn and U. S. Congressman Henry Cuellar are among the federal legislators that Pharr is working with to improve access to broadband internet services for Pharr residents.
Pharr, Texas – The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have been felt around the world bringing economies to a halt, overwhelming the healthcare industry, revolutionizing the way we do business, and forcing schools to transition to e-learning. As we begin to grapple with the effects here in the Rio Grande Valley, we are bracing ourselves for a new normal. Now more than ever, we are reliant on the internet and technology to drive our governments, businesses, workforce, and education systems.
At the onset of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the City of Pharr acted quickly in efforts to flatten the curve and mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Mayor Ambrosio Hernandez, M.D., issued one of the area’s first Emergency Orders, opened up a call center, and has pushed for resources and support for all residents and businesses. Unfortunately, one of the hardest-hit sectors has been our education system, which has completely transitioned to distance learning. Mayor Hernandez met with local area educational leaders to discuss needs and address solutions that would help support this new reality, and one of the major obstacles for students and families to access educational resources and support has been the lack of widespread, reliable broadband internet access.
The City of Pharr has a total of five different school districts within its jurisdiction – Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District, Valley View Independent School District, Hidalgo Independent School District, Vanguard Academy, and IDEA Public Schools. This brings a combined total of close to 30,000 students enrolled within the city limits. Moving from traditional classroom instruction to online, virtual delivery of instruction from one week to the next proves to be a tough feat, given the lack of technological connectivity.
Mayor Hernandez met with local area education leaders to discuss needs.
For many years, Pharr has been leading the effort to bridge the digital divide for families in areas of South Pharr. In 2017, the City of Pharr, in collaboration with Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District, the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, and private entities such as BBVA Compass bank, announced a pilot project, Pharr Life Net, that brought free internet access to 50 families in their homes. The City of Pharr invested $90,000 in the household study on external devices and equipment for each home, and $100,000 was invested through the Federal Reserve Partnership with BBVA Compass used for a financial impact feasibility study. Through the pilot project, and with the increase in connectivity among students and families, the plight of traditionally-underserved families along the Texas-Mexico border can be significantly improved.
Since then, Pharr leaders have worked diligently to identify other funding sources to expand broadband internet access to further close the digital divide. have been pressing federal legislators about the need for programs and resources to help even more families that lack access to affordable internet. Specifically, Pharr has been pushing federal agencies such as the U. S. Department of Agriculture to allow for waivers for eligibility requirements for areas such as Pharr, which is considered an urban community but remains among the most digitally-disconnected areas, to be allowed to compete for funding for programs that would expand broadband internet access to residents. Pharr does not currently qualify as “rural” due to population, but it remains too small to compete with metropolitan areas. Now, in the midst of COVID-19, with Shelter-At-Home orders in place, and with families working and learning from their homes, it is even more imperative to increase access to broadband internet to support distance learning and keep students learning and thriving in this new educational environment.
The City of Pharr, PSJA ISD, The Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, and other project partners launch PharrLifeNET in 2017 to bring free internet access to 50 families in South Pharr.
“For the Rio Grande Valley, the digital divide is a stark reality,” said Mayor Ambrosio Hernandez, M.D. “Now, more than ever, it is time that our congressional and state leaders take action to provide grant eligibility waivers for communities with glaring digital divides,” he added. “It is clear that egregious inequities exist concerning broadband access and connectivity for our students,” he stated. “This is a reality prevalent in underserved and underprivileged rural communities and communities of color, such as ours,” he continued.
According to the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, the three metro areas on the South Texas border are among the most digitally-unconnected areas in the nation. Statistics from the U.S. Census American Community Survey suggests that the percentage of residents in the Pharr-McAllen-Edinburg-Mission with broadband access is only at a dismal fifty-five percent.
“The toll this pandemic is taking on families, relative to the digital divide that exists in our community, is apparent in all aspects of their daily lives, especially for our students who do not have access to the internet at home and cannot complete their school work,” he said. “They are most at risk of falling behind compared to their peers who do not have to worry about finding access to the internet,” continued Hernandez. “We must act now to provide relief for not only our students, but also for working families who may also be adjusting to working from home,” Hernandez said.
Most of these students and families relied heavily on libraries, restaurants, or coffee shops for free internet connectivity, but now, they have nowhere to turn to. By connecting Pharr with broadband internet access for all households, schools, and public buildings, Pharr continues to work toward bridging the digital divide.
“These types of programs exist and they work; we know that because our pilot project with PSJA ISD, Pharr Life Net was a huge success,” Hernandez said. “We hope to continue working aggressively with our congressional leaders and state legislators to make them aware of this issue, and urge them to develop solutions that will enable us to provide relief for our students and families,” continued Hernandez. “As we expect a peak to occur in the coming weeks, there seems to be no timeframe or answer as to when this pandemic will end and until then, our education system and society will continue to rely on the internet to function,” added Hernandez.
The City of Pharr remains committed to bridging the digital divide and understands the burden placed on students, families, educators, and school districts during this transition. Mayor Hernandez and city leaders are committed to exploring all possibilities for funding for this critical infrastructure, including imploring congressional and state leaders to consider providing more resources, connectivity, and technology options for our community through existing programs or possible future COVID-19 infrastructure recovery funding, especially now in this critical time.
“Bridging the digital divide is one of our highest priorities, and is critical to our infrastructure, our community’s development, and our future,” Hernandez ended.
Pharr Launches Business Impact Survey to Measure Impact of COVID-19 on Local Economy
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE TUESDAY, APRIL 7, 2020
Pharr, Texas – The City of Pharr in collaboration with the Pharr EDC and the Greater Pharr Chamber of Commerce announced that they have launched a Business Impact Survey to measure the impact of COVID-19 on local businesses and the community.
“Our local businesses are the lifeline of our economy, and we rely on our local business community to provide us with goods, services, entertainment, and products that fulfill our needs, feed our families, and enhance our livelihood,” said Mayor Ambrosio Hernandez, M.D. “Many of our local businesses are suffering right now due to COVID-19 and although many have adapted to implement the current orders and social distancing initiatives, there are still many who have had to completely shut down their operations or switch to online or other delivery methods,” Hernandez continued. “Through this survey, we hope to gauge the needs of our community so that we can work together to assess the impact, prepare for recovery, and plan for the future,” he added.
The online survey has been sent to local businesses to ensure that the city has an accurate reflection of how businesses are coping, how hard they have been impacted if they have the means to recover and continue operations and to measure others issues that have come up as a result of adjusting business operations.
“Pharr has been proactive since the start of COVID-19, and we have been working closely with our local, state, and federal legislators on all levels, including keeping our local businesses informed of any economic assistance that may be available,” stated Victor Perez, Pharr EDC Executive Director. “This is an especially tough situation for many businesses as they have had to change their normal operations, while also tending to the personal and financial impact caused to their employees and business,” he added. “As we continue to gather information from our local business leaders, we will be analyzing information and data collected to help guide future policy decisions and relief efforts,” said Perez. City officials are doing all they can to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in the community and urge Pharr residents and businesses to heed the guidance of federal, state, and local authorities to continue practice social distancing as we all work to stop the spread of the coronavirus.”Pharr is a resilient community and we want our residents and businesses to know that we are all in this together, and we will get through this together,” added Mayor Hernandez. “We will continue to fight this invisible enemy, while also continuing to fight for more resources, funding, and assistance to ensure that our community remains safe and that our local businesses and economy will continue to thrive,” he said.
The City of Pharr will use data collected from the survey to analyze the impacts on the local economy and to continue advocating for more assistance to help local businesses get back to business.
Pharr Approves New Emergency Order, Implements Work Safe Plan; Pharr Set to Receive Federal Funding to Fight COVID-19
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE THURSDAY, APRIL 2, 2020
Pharr, Texas – As the City of Pharr and the entire South Texas region continues to be increasingly impacted by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), city officials will continue to provide updates to keep our residents and the public informed as information develops.
Pharr Approves New Emergency Order, Implements Work Safe Plan
On Thursday, April 2, 2020, Pharr Mayor Ambrosio Hernandez, M.D. issued an updated Order to align with the new guidelines and emergency orders issued by President Donald J. Trump, Texas Governor Greg Abbott, and Hidalgo County Judge Richard F. Cortez, which defined the continuity of essential services and activities during the COVID-19 disaster and aimed to limit the spread of the disease.
Pharr’s Order No. 2020-01 defines further measures to be implemented to reduce the substantial risk of harm to the public and requires that all essential businesses and organizations defined as critical to the nation’s infrastructure submit a Work Safe Plan, which outlines plans for implementing and enforcing distancing, sanitation, and hygiene practices, to the City of Pharr.
This Order is effective as of 11:59 pm on Friday, April 3, 2020, and shall remain in effect until the state of disaster is terminated or the Order is otherwise terminated by the City Commission.
“Since we now have cases involving Pharr residents, it is imperative that we all continue doing what we can to prevent the spread of the disease, which is extremely contagious,” said Mayor Dr. Ambrosio Hernandez, M.D. “It is our individual responsibility to care for our community and keep it as safe and healthy as possible,” he continued.
The Order further mandates that all individuals who are ill, especially those with symptoms consistent with influenza or COVID-19, shall isolate themselves at home until they recover. An entire household is ordered to self-quarantine at home for a period of no less than two weeks if anyone in a household tests positive for COVID-19 or anyone in the household has had contact with anyone who has tested positive for COVID-19. The Order further states that people who are known to have or are under investigation or monitoring for COVID-19 must abide by the Control Orders and direction provided to them by authorities, including state and local public health officials.
Pharr Set to Receive Federal Funding to Fight COVID-19
Pharr, Texas – City of Pharr leaders were pleased to learn from U. S. Congressman Vicente Gonzalez (TX-15) that $10,383,884 in funding from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) was approved for District 15 for Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) and Emergency Shelter Grants (ESG) for the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic. Pharr’s award is approximately $665,558 in CDBG funding, which can be used for areas of infrastructure, economic development, and medical supplies and equipment, among other eligible activities.
“As we continue to navigate the current situation and plan for the future, we are extremely proud that our federal partners are listening to the needs of our community and fighting to support our efforts to help our response to COVID-19,” said Pharr Mayor Ambrosio Hernandez, M.D. “The City of Pharr applauds the actions taken by Congress and especially the efforts and dedication of Congressman Gonzalez as he continues to work with local leaders to ensure the safety and well-being of our citizens, businesses, and communities,” said Mayor Ambrosio Hernandez, M.D. he added.
The highly anticipated news comes just a few days after Congress passed legislative relief for Americans due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I will continue to keep the pressure on to ensure that our district receives the funds it needs during this time of crisis,” said Congressman Gonzalez. “This funding is a vital step for cities and counties to prepare for and mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. We will continue to work around-the-clock for the frontline medical professionals, hospitals, and our community.”
From the onset of this pandemic, the City of Pharr has taken proactive measures to prepare the community. From the implementation of the Emergency Disaster Declaration to working with Homeland Security partners to secure our southern border at the Pharr International Bridge by pre-screening to prevent any high-risk individuals from entering our city or placing them in self-quarantine, city officials have worked closely with federal, state, county, and municipal leaders to mitigate the spread and minimize the impact of COVID-19 in our community.
“We are fortunate to have great partnerships and communication with our leaders at the regional, state, and federal level as we all work together to fight this invisible enemy,” Hernandez continued. “This much-needed funding will help us battle the pandemic and support our community, our healthcare system, and our economy as we continue to face growing numbers every day,” he said. “I am proud of the leadership of Congressman Gonzalez, Senator Cornyn, and Senator Cruz who have worked diligently over the years to ensure that the City of Pharr and our citizens have the resources, funding, and assistance to continue thriving,” he added.
