The addition of vaccination mandates for nursing home workers is seen by many as one more burden for a struggling industry already squeezed by a shrinking workforce during this pandemic.

Moore County will be conducting a drive-thru testing clinic Monday through Friday from 12 Noon to 2 p.m. on the East side of McDade Park.

At their regular Board meeting on Monday, March 8th, the Dumas ISD Board of Trustees voted 6-0 to discontinue the required face mask regulation. The change will be effective starting March 11th, a day after Governor Abbott's executive order mandate expires. Dumas ISD Superintendent Monty Hysinger says all other TEA,…Read More

The Moore County Hospital District (MCHD) said Tuesday that they had received the first shipment of 500 doses of the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine.

The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) has released a list of locations due to receive the second round of COVID vaccine starting Monday, December 21st. It's part of the second phase of the largest national immunization program in American history. While several area towns are on the list,…Read More

Texas allocates $200 million in federal coronavirus funding (CARES) to eLearning for Texas students. Funds will go toward purchasing internet-capable devices and home internet solutions to enable remote learning.

Moore County reported it's first COVID-19 case at the end of March and the active case count reached a peak of 363 on June 5th after test results from the JBS plant in Cactus were added to the totals. Since then the total case count for Moore County has remained…Read More

Governor Greg Abbott today issued a proclamation expanding additional services and activities that can open under Phase II of the state's plan to safely and strategically open. With this proclamation, water parks, recreational sports programs for adults, driver education programs, and food-court dining areas within shopping malls can begin operations with…Read More

Newly available data from the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) is giving us a better view of COVID-19 activity in Moore County. The data shows active cases went from zero to a peak of 332 in around 6 weeks time. The first case was on March 30th and…Read More

This chart uses compiled data from the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) and MCHD. DISCLAIMER: All data are provisional and are subject to change.

By Clare Proctor - May 6, 2020 The executive director of the Texas Workforce Commission told lawmakers during a telephone briefing Wednesday that the agency is planning to require Texans to begin searching for work in order to keep their unemployment benefits once Gov. Greg Abbott begins allowing restaurants and…Read More

Latest info about COVID-19 in Moore County. County Commissioners are meeting today (April 30, 2020) at 2 p.m. to discuss next steps for expiring disaster declaration. Gov Abbott mentioned Moore County in his press conference on April 27th. Gov Abbott mentioned Moore County in his press conference on April 27th.…Read More

Tim Schellpeper, President of the JBS USA Beef Fed Group opened the Cactus plant to the media on Tuesday. The Moore County Journal toured the plant and had a chance to interview Mr. Schellpeper as well as Cactus plant manager Manny Guerrero. Below is a highlight video from the interview…Read More

Governor Greg Abbott Open Texas Report Final Version

Gov. Greg Abbott is soon expected to make an announcement about reopening a wide range of Texas businesses amid the coronavirus pandemic, including restaurants, hair salons and retail outlets.

The State of Texas is setting up a drive-thru testing site in Dumas on Friday, April 24, 2020. To be eligible for testing, citizens must have one or more symptoms of COVID-19. Symptoms include: Fever and/or chillsCough (Dry or Productive) FatigueBody aches/muscle or joint painShortness of BreathSore ThroatHeadachesNausea/Vomiting/DiarrheaNasal CongestionLoss of…Read More

State health officials confirmed Tuesday that they are investigating an outbreak of the new coronavirus at the JBS Beef packing plant in the Texas Panhandle, part of ongoing efforts to monitor major meat processing plants as the pandemic continues to threaten food supply chains.

TEXAS UIL - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE With the announcement from Governor Greg Abbott that all Texas schools are to remain closed to in-person learning for the remainder of this school year, and in an effort to help protect the health and safety of Texans, the University Interscholastic League (UIL) is…Read More

Moore County Judge Rowdy Rhoades issued an updated local disaster declaration which adds a curfew clause for any person 18 years of age or under and brings the previous declaration in line with Governor Abbotts state-wide declaration. Starting Friday, April 3rd at 10:00 p.m. the curfew will be in effect…Read More

Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday sought to get Texans to stay at home for the next month to stem the spread of the new coronavirus, issuing an order that says they must "minimize" social gatherings and in-person contact with people outside their homes unless they are taking part in "essential"…Read More

Gov. Greg Abbott on Sunday ratcheted up travel restrictions into Texas during the new coronavirus pandemic, while announcing the state's first pop-up hospital to deal with the crisis. He also said he was moving to "stop the release of dangerous felons" amid the outbreak.

Vice President Mike Pence asked contractors, construction workers, dentists, and others to donate any extra N95 masks they had on hand to a local hospital. Due to high demand, the masks have been hard to find as supplies nationwide are being used up. The Moore County Hospital District has also…Read More

The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) COVID-19 dashboard website reported on March 24, 2020, that a total of 13,235 COVID-19 tests have been performed in Texas. An interactive dashboard website is available to the public for the latest: https://txdshs.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/ed483ecd702b4298ab01e8b9cafc8b83 https://txdshs.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/ed483ecd702b4298ab01e8b9cafc8b83

We have had questions about the restrictions under the current disaster declaration in Moore County. In general, don't panic. This is NOT a shelter-in-place situation. You CAN leave your house and go places. The grocery store, retail shops, drive-through or pick-up restaurants, gas stations, and parks. It's still a pretty…Read More

Gov. Abbott waives some nursing license regulations. The number of Texas cases increase 53% to 325

We have received numerous questions from readers about local issues concerning the COVID-19 Pandemic. We are working to get answers and publish them to help keep the local community informed. Here is a question we received and we reached out to the hospital to find out more. Moore County Journal…Read More

The U.S. Government has identified the food supply chain as a critical infrastructure industry and the JBS plant in Cactus is operating at full capacity. They have implemented several measures to protect the health and well being of workers.

Moore County Hospital District (MCHD) announced on Facebook and on its website that Coronavirus tests have been performed and those tests have come back negative. The number of tests performed or the hospital's current testing capacity has not been released at this time. MCHD officials say: "Just a reminder and…Read More

Justice of the Peace Precinct 1 Barbara Mulanax released a temporary standing order Monday on behalf of Moore County Justices of the Peace which outlines several procedural changes made in order to mitigate the effects of Coronavirus. The order states it will remain in effect unless the Governer issues a…Read More

As the COVID-19 pandemic worsens, states across the country are increasingly taking a more heavy-handed approach to contain the new strain of coronavirus — shuttering schools, bars and restaurants and deploying state militaries.

Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath told school superintendents and lawmakers Sunday to be prepared for long-term school district closures, potentially through the end of the school year, especially in areas where the new coronavirus has spread.

At this time, Dumas and Sunray schools have said they plan on resuming class on March 23rd following spring break. We will monitor this and let you know if that changes. Related Links: Dumas ISD WebsiteSunray ISD Website

Dumas ISD superintendent Monty Hysinger released a statement via Facebook on Friday addressing the district's current COVID-19 (Coronavirus) efforts. An important item to point out is that unless DISD is forced to adjust their plans, schools will resume after spring break as planned on Monday, March 23rd. Read the full…Read More

Press Release - Friday, March 13, 2020, at 2:46 p.m. MCOEM_covid19_March13_2020Download As of Noon today, there are 39 active cases in the State of Texas. None of these cases are located in the Panhandle of Texas. There are simple steps everyone can take to help prevent the spread of respiratory…Read More

Dumas ISD released information on their website that outlines specific steps they are taking in response to the current Coronavirus outbreak. Moore County Judge Rowdy Rhoades said on Thursday that the district currently is at a level 1 response. You can download the full DISD emergency plan document at the…Read More