Mayor Turner to discuss COVID-19 response, donation drive for Hurricane Laura victims | Watch at 3 p.m.

HOUSTON — Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner will be having a press conference this afternoon to discuss the city’s latest response to COVID-19 as well as how the city is collecting donations for Hurricane Laura victims.

Watch live on this page at 3 p.m. or any of KHOU 11’s social media platforms.

Coronavirus testing came to a halt in Houston last week as Hurricane Laura made her final approach. Luckily, the hurricane missed Houston, but coronavirus is still a major concern.

With Hurricane Laura no longer a threat, Houston is refocusing its resources on the community and coronavirus.

Dr. David Persse with the Houston Health Department believes Houstonians may have tapped the brakes a bit on testing to prepare for Laura, but he says now that the hurricane is gone, it’s time for residents to refocus their energy back on COVID-19. 

RELATED: COVID-19 test sites back up after Hurricane Laura, public urged to get tested

“I would like to think that people would want to get themselves tested early so we can stop the virus spreading in our neighborhoods and our families before we get to the point where all the hospitalization numbers are going up,” Dr. Persse said.

On Saturday, Mayor Turner announced that the city, along with local businesses and organizations like Gallery Furniture and Kroger, is setting up a donation drive  — called “Houston’s Paying It Forward” — to collect supplies for residents who were impacted by Laura. 

The task force will start accepting donations on Tuesday, Sept. 1. at several locations, including the George R. Brown Convention Center, the Gallery Furniture on the North Freeway and several Kroger locations.

For more information on the donation drive, click here.