A sustained increase in COVID-19 activity in Amarillo is sending the city back to the highest level for COVID-19 alert, officials said on Tuesday.

In a press release, the City of Amarillo announced its decision to move to “Level Red” after operating at “Level Orange” for a number of weeks. The change is indicates “sustained increase or widespread transmission in active COVID-19 cases in the Amarillo area.” The change also indicates that hospital capacity is “stressed,” according to officials.

The change officially goes into effect on Wednesday, October 14, officials stated.

Officials announced the change after the release of today’s COVID-19 report card for Amarillo, showing 269 new cases in Amarillo, with 3,266 cases active. Thus far, there have been 131 COVID-19 related deaths reported in Potter and Randall Counties.