As the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Denton County climbed to 30 Sunday, health officials announced new restrictions to help slow the spread of the virus. Denton County officials issued a mandatory, county-wide stay-at-home order Tuesday, asking people to stay home in an attempt to stall the spread of COVID-19. Denton County officials issued a mandatory, county-wide stay-at-home order Tuesday, asking people to stay home in an attempt to stall the spread of COVID-19.Denton County Judge Andy Eads said the order would go into effect at 11:59 p.m., March 25 and impacts all 40 cities in the county.Full coverage of the COVID-19 outbreak and how it impacts youPeople are permitted to leave their residences to perform any Essential Activities, which are tasks related to health and safety or to obtain food and supplies. Denton County residents have been ordered to stay at home for at least the next seven days, as the county joins a growing list of North Texas municipalities placing restrictions on gatherings in … Any public or private gathering of any number of people is prohibited, except for those occurring within a single living unit.Essential businesses need to comply with social distancing guidelines outlined by the Centers for Disease Control, which say people need to maintain a minimum of a 6-foot social distance.Religious and worship services can only be delivered through video or teleconference services.All elective medical, surgical and dental procedures are prohibited anywhere in Denton County.Any manufacturer who retools their business to manufacture ventilators or other needed medical equipment can qualify as an essential business.Delivery hour restrictions for essential businesses have been suspended in an effort to keep up with high demand at grocery stores and supermarkets.Retail suppliers need to use common-sense rationing of products that are in limited supply.Nursing homes, retirement and long-term care facilities are ordered to prohibit non-essential visitors, which excludes people providing critical assistance or coming in for end-of-life visitation.Schools need to review and update their emergency management plans at least 72 hours before students return to a classroom setting.The stay-at-home mandate will last seven days unless it’s extended by the Denton County Commissioners Court or suspended by a county judge, according to the executive order.The order comes as municipalities across North Texas have issued restrictions on social gatherings, such as Collin County’s stay-at-home order, however, stated A total of 36 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Denton County, according to the county health department. "“We acknowledge this is a dilemma, and that everything done prior to a pandemic will appear like an overreaction and alarmist," Eads said. Denton County residents have been ordered to stay at home for at least the next seven days, as the county joins a growing list of North Texas municipalities placing restrictions on gatherings in an effort to slow the spread of People can leave their homes only for essential activities, such as purchasing groceries or exercising outdoors while practicing social distancing, according to the Restaurants and bars can only provide take-out, delivery or drive-through services “as allowed by law,” according to the order.Also, anyone using shared or outdoor spaces has to “at all times as reasonably as possible” keep a distance of 6 feet from other people, according to the order. "The best way to prevent infection is to take precautions to avoid exposure to this virus, which are similar to the precautions you take to avoid the flu. By Brandi Addison Since, however, Denton County issued a stay-at-home order for it residents — to be reviewed on March 31. Denton County … "Everything done after will seem inadequate. There have been nine cases in Denton, five cases in Frisco and a handful of cases in several other cities.Eighteen cases were the result of recent travel, 12 cases were the result of local transmission and four cases were the result of contact with a confirmed cases, according to the county health department.Trump erroneously says 1918 Spanish Flu 'probably ended' WWII, which happened two decades laterRuby Tuesday has shut down more than one-third of its restaurants this year as the chain buckles under pandemic pressures and an aging customer baseDenton County orders residents to stay at home, closes non-essential businessesShow full articles without "Continue Reading" button for {0} hours.