Ellis County Has 73 COVID-19 Patients Hospitalized
COVID-19 cases in Ellis County continue rising and hospitalizations are also increasing. Active cases as of today are estimated to be at 4,341 another all time high for Ellis County with a positivity rate of 43%. Ellis County reports there are 73 COVID-19 patients hospitalized with 12 in the ICU and 61 on a MedSurg unit.
Today’s Midlothian ISD dashboard shows a significant increase in active cases with a whopping 70 active cases at Midlothian High School. The district has a total of 241 active COVID-19 cases which is the most active cases at once since the beginning of the pandemic.
Venus ISD had to alter bus routes today due to a bus driver shortage and posted this notice today, “Good morning Bulldog Families, Due to a number of our bus drivers being out today, we will need to double some routes which means student pick up and drop off times will be altered.”
In Red Oak ISD, COVID cases are impacting staffing and attendance thus Red Oak ISD has decided to make Friday a student holiday while staff will report from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday is Martin Luther King Day, so students will have a four day holiday. ROISD has one campus, Wooden Elementary, in the yellow tier. (YELLOW – 2% or more of a campus or district count with COVID positive cases) Restrictions include: Parents/visitors by appointment only, Masks recommended, Outdoor events preferred; indoor events must be below 50% capacity.
Red Oak ISD shared this with the Hawk Community:
Hawk Nation,
Due to rapidly increasing COVID cases and staffing shortages (both current and projected), we are changing this coming Friday, January 14 to an in-person staff workday. The day will be a student holiday. We have additional minutes built into the school calendar and this time will not have to be made up for students.
Currently scheduled extra-curricular activities (UIL games, etc.) will continue as scheduled unless you are contacted by your coach or sponsor.
All staff should report to their campus from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Little Hawks will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. All staff should be working in their classrooms or offices alone and refrain from any group gatherings including meals together. All staff must be in-person or have an absence documented for the day.
While the COVID Omicron variant is quickly spreading and we expect mass population coverage soon, we will continue to monitor active cases each week to mitigate the spread.
We apologize to our families for the inconvenience but feel this decision is in the best interest of Red Oak ISD students and staff. We are feeling the impact of staff absences on every campus and in every operational function. This will allow for an extra day apart along with the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday on Monday, Jan. 17.
TEA guidance has also changed recently and campuses will no longer be conducting contact tracing for students unless they are specifically identified by a COVID positive staff member or they are part of a self-contained or special education group. Parents will still have the choice to keep close-contact identified students home or send them to school with a mask.
We continue to encourage eligible individuals to acquire the vaccinations and boosters, as well as practice social distancing and the use of facial masks to reduce the spread. The safety of our students, staff, and families remains the top priority.
Please contact your campus administration or email info@redoakisd.org if you have any questions.
If you’re looking for a COVID-19 test in Ellis County check the Ellis County website for information on testing and vaccination sites. Ferris Treatment Center is currently out of monoclonal antibodies and doesn’t know when they’ll received another shipment.
