Paris ISD trustees have issued a statement following a noon emergency meeting to discuss a temporary restraining order against its inclusion of masks in the district's dress code. 

“This is not going away,” Emergency Management Coordinator Quincy Blount said about the virus. “The Paris Junior College testing center is running about 200 tests a day."

More than 11% of those who received their first dose haven’t gotten a second shot, and more than 1 million people are more than 90 days overdue.

The Roxton Community Center, 102 Harrison Ave., will host a flu vaccine clinic from 9 to 11 a.m. Wednesday.

Paris ISD notified district parents this morning that masks will no longer be required on its campuses, but they are encouraged.

Gov. Greg Abbott and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton have long threatened to sue school districts that defy Abbott’s ban on local mask mandates. On Friday, Paxton made good on that threat.

Caseloads have left districts scrambling when many have said they have fewer tools at their disposal to combat the spread of the virus.

Seven Intensive Care Unit nurses and two respiratory therapists are supplementing PRMC’s staff, hospital CEO Steve Hyde said. The help allowed the hospital to up its number of ICU beds from 12 to 16. About 80% of the ICU is filled with Covid-19 patients.

Our current Covid-19 situation is dire. If you are on the fence about getting vaccinated, please pick up the phone and call your physician to talk specifically about the vaccine. 

With new Covid-19 cases on the rise Lamar County, Paris Junior College has stepped up to offer Covid testing four days a week, starting Tuesday. 

County Judge Randy Moore headed off concerns that the county will levy mandates for masking or vaccines, saying “we’re not even thinking about a mandate to mandate.”

To date, one Red River Valley school district has shut down a campus because of Covid-19 spread. All districts are reporting active cases among students and some staff.

“He was loved and admired by those who served with him and lived a life of service to the citizens of Paris,” the Paris Police Department stated. “Please keep his family in your prayers during this difficult time.”

The U.S. gave full approval to Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine Monday, a milestone that could lift public confidence in the shots and spur more companies, universities and local governments to make vaccinations mandatory.

This is a reversal of the Texas Education Agency’s previous guidance, which didn’t explicitly require school districts to notify parents of a close contact with the virus.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Gov. Greg Abbott wanted the high court to disallow mask mandates in Texas school districts. Justices dismissed their request on a technicality, without issuing a ruling on their legal arguments.

UPDATED: Paris ISD trustees made masks part of the district's dress code after more than an hour of debate between the medical community, parents and staff in an emergency meeting Tuesday.

Back-and-forth legal rulings have left some school districts with the choice of flouting Abbott and mandating masks — or waiting for the dust to settle.

An after-hours free Covid-shot clinic is scheduled from 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at First Christian Church, 780 20th St. NE.