Wednesday, March 3, 2021, Lamb County Judge James M. Deloach, issued a news release in response to Governor Greg Abbott’s March 2, 2021 executive order, related to the opening of Texas.
Judge’s news release begins here
On Tuesday, March 2, Texas Independence Day, Governor Greg Abbott issued Executive Order GA-34, relating to the opening of Texas; this Order authorizes removal of many of the previous restrictions put in place by the Governor’s Office to help battle the COVID-19 pandemic, and it officially goes into effect at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, March 10, 2021.
In response and pursuant to this statewide change in operating procedures, Lamb County Judge Mike DeLoach is officially withdrawing the County’s Emergency Disaster Declaration, originally put in place May 3, 2020.
Just as Governor Abbott’s most recent order encourages (but does not require) the wearing of face coverings or masks, the County Judge hopes citizens will continue to follow DSHA and CDC guidelines, especially if they are in a high-risk population.
Additionally, Judge DeLoach cautions that COVID-19 is not gone — the situation is not over yet. “We have, however, reached a point in time that I feel we are no longer served by being under the more restrictive measures of the Disaster Declaration.”
GA-34 authorizes County Judges to re-impose occupancy limits, if hospitalization rates increase. DeLoach says, “If our regional hospitalizations for COVID patients increases above 15% for a seven-day period, I will reexamine the situation and consider placing some additional restrictions at that time.”
Per the Governor’s Order, the County will continue to participate and work with the State Health Services in tracing and reporting active cases.
DeLoach issued a cautious reminder: “As of today, March 3, 2021, I have a list with the names of fifty-eight people on it, resi dents of Lamb County, who are no longer with us because of this virus. These were real people — not statistics —people we all knew and loved.
“There are countless others who have been affected by this dreadful disease. I encourage everyone to discuss planning and treatment options with their healthcare provider, and make educated decisions about what is best for them. Vaccination is certainly one of those options, especially for members of our community who are in high-risk populations; but this is a personal choice to be made by each person with the help of their healthcare professionals.”
The judge concluded by commending the citizens of Lamb County: “I cannot say enough about how proud I am of the cooperating and effort I have seen and experienced — our communities, citizens, school districts, and businesses have all worked toether to get through this situation together, as a team.
“I would especiallly like to thank our healthcare providers and frontline workers who are working daily to protect us all. They put themselves and their families in jeopardy every day. We are literally a better people, and a better community, because of their service and sacrifice.”