On this special edition of West Texas Talk, we hear from reporters on the ground, healthcare professionals, a parent learning to homeschool her kids and service industry workers who have found themselves out of a job — all in the midst of unfolding preparedness plans and new policies attempting to curb the spread of COVID-19 in the Permian Basin and Big Bend region.
This episode contains information that is up-to-date as of 3 P.M. Thursday, March 19. After it originally aired, the first case of COVID-19 in the Permian Basin was confirmed in Midland.
As of Friday March 20 at 11:30 A.M., there are no confirmed cases in the Big Bend region.
Voices in this episode include:
- Hosts Carlos Morales and Elise Pepple
- Marfa Public Radio Reporters Sally Beauvais and Mitch Borden
- Big Bend Sentinel Reporter Abbie Perrault
- Dr. Ekta Escovar of Big Bend Regional Medical Center
- Dr. Phuoc Le of the University of Californa, San Francisco
- Midland parent Kristen Betton
- Jessie Browning, Paul Chavarria, Ian Lewis and Chris Ramming, service workers and business owners in Marfa
