Dallas / Fort Worth Local News

SAN ANTONIO (AP) ― Confirmed cases of swine flu in Texas climbed to 28 on Friday as more schools and community events were canceled to try and keep the virus from spreading.

After five swine flu cases were confirmed in Tarrant County, officials canceled Fort Worth's annual Mayfest, a four-day event that usually attracts 200,000 people. It had never been canceled in its 37-year history, even when about 100 people were injured in a 1995 hailstorm, organizers said.

Also canceled this weekend were the city of Cleburne's Springfest, and Big Bend Ranch State Park's party of tours and a free barbecue -- although the park will remain open. Cisco Junior College in West Texas canceled its Friday graduation ceremony and instead will mail diplomas to graduates.

Special Olympics Texas called off its Friday and Saturday spring games planned in several cities across the state. Cinco de Mayo events in Fort Worth, Cleburne and Denton also were canceled or postponed.

In Dallas County, health officials stressed the new virus - though not yet predictable - seems to be following patterns of seasonal flu strains.

The incubation period seems to be leveling off at about 48 hours, so Canyon Creek Elementary School in Richardson is considering reopening Monday. Richardson ISD officials will make a final decision over the weekend.

Many school districts have tossed planned field trips. A Cleburne senior band trip to California was put off.

"We were very nervous sending students out of state that could possibly be carrying a contagious disease, so we asked them to postpone that," said Cleburne ISD Superintendent Ronny Beard.

But since they have no confirmed cases of H1N1, Arlington officials decided to allow their students to travel to Washington, D.C.

"Anything out of state or out the region that had contractual obligations we were allowing that with parent approval," said Arlington Superintendent Jerry McCullough.

Gov. Rick Perry urged people to remain calm and said Texans should not be alarmed by his decision Wednesday to issue a disaster declaration, which allows officials to begin emergency protective measures and seek reimbursement from the federal government.

"This is a normal activity," Perry said Thursday. "It wasn't an attempt to whip people into a frenzy."

After Perry met Thursday in San Antonio with county, health and school officials from the area, superintendents said the state pledged to create guidelines about when schools should shut down over an outbreak that is keeping some 172,000 students home.

They said consistency was needed because parents had questioned why some campuses were closed and others were not.

"We're looking at Fort Worth and saying, 'What constituted that?"' said Richard Middleton, superintendent of North East school district in San Antonio. "That's the precedent we've got to worry about."

A day after the Fort Worth school district announced it was closing all 144 schools until May 8, state health officials Thursday asked Guadalupe County to close most public and private schools until May 11 -- and maybe longer.

The county leads the state with nine confirmed cases, has another 14 "highly probable" cases and about 100 suspected cases awaiting further testing, Guadalupe County Judge Mike Wiggins said Thursday.

One of Guadalupe County's school districts, Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City, closed its 14 schools earlier this week. Thursday's request affected three other districts and some private schools in the county east of San Antonio.

At least seven other Texas school districts have been closed entirely -- Navasota, New Diana, Weslaco, Cleburne, Rio Grande City, Comal and New Braunfels. Some public and private schools in a dozen other cities also are closed.

Officials are disinfecting school buildings, buses and playground equipment. Many schools remaining open have canceled trips and activities.

All high school sports competitions in Texas were suspended until May 11 because of fears about the illness -- resulting in the baseball season being suspended. Regional track championships were initially canceled but officials decided Thursday to hold the regional meets later in May and the state meet in June. The University Interscholastic League academic competitions were pushed back to late May.

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