Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins reported 1,356 new COVID-19 cases and 50 deaths. “As we have said, these will be our darkest months for deaths thus far,” he tweeted as Dallas County hit a new record in COVID-19 deaths.
Dallas-Fort Worth ended the year with 81,600 fewer jobs in December than the year before due to the COVID-19 pandemic, reports the Dallas Morning News. Still in the thousands, this is a significant bounce back from a record -283,000 jobs in April 2020.
Tarrant County officials are encouraging residents to sign up for the COVID-19 vaccine regardless of if they’re eligible or not, reports the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. While doses are limited to certain groups, signing up now could help get vaccinations out faster once the vaccine becomes more available.
Gov. Greg Abbot is open to reconsidering his emergency powers after bipartisan criticism from state lawmakers reports the Texas Tribune. Some GOP lawmakers have grown uneasy with how aggressively Abbott has used his executive authority, particularly when it comes to business shutdowns and mask mandates.
