Dallas County Reduces Covid-19 Hazard Warning

Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins announced that the county has lowered the risk level for covid-19 from orange to yellow. This is the lowest level since the county introduced its color alert system last year.

The decision, announced on Twitter, means that unvaccinated people can safely increase their activities, such as eating inside restaurants, shopping and traveling.

In all instances, social distancing, hand washing, and the use of face masks are still recommended for unvaccinated people.

Earlier this month, some commissioners questioned whether the tool no longer served any purpose as many pre-pandemic activities have returned and federal authorities have relaxed almost all precautions for vaccinated people.

Commissioner John Wiley Price, who had raised concerns that health authorities did not reduce the level of risk, said Monday’s decision “should have been long overdue.”

“People trying to do their best (with the rules) need to see that,” Price said. “People need a ray of hope.”

Price said the measure should not prevent people from being vigilant against the virus or from receiving the vaccine. He added that weekend that he was planning a Juneteenth event specifically to “celebrate and vaccinate.”

Just under one million Dallas County residents age 12 and older are fully vaccinated, according to state data.

Dallas County was among the first in Texas and the United States to implement the color risk level before vaccines were widely available. The guides give a list of activities that can be done according to the level of risk.

In addition to shopping and eating indoors, meetings with fewer than 50 people are already recommended, and wearing the masks whenever possible.

County guidelines at this time are stricter than CDC guidelines, which put up that fully vaccinated people can now resume their normal lives as they were before the pandemic.

Dr. Philip Huang, county health director, said recently that he did not want to “move the goals,” which he said were set last year and is why the county has been slower to reduce its level of health. risk.