Lamar County confirmed its first positive case of COVID-19 on Thursday.

Paris Mayor Steve Clifford said in a Facebook post (below) the person returned from traveling abroad and immediately went into quarantine with family. He says no one in Paris was exposed to the person.

"Although this is good news, we must understand that there are almost certainly others in the Paris area who are infected with this virus," Clifford said. "It is extremely important that everyone follow

that have been established by state and local authorities."

Lamar County Judge Brandon Bell signed a local state of disaster at 5 p.m. Thursday afternoon in response to the confirmed test.

"I would urge the public to remain calm but vigilant in dealing with this situation. Our number one goal at this time is to slow the spread of the virus, then get back up and running as soon as possible," Bell said in a statement.

Bell stated testing is limited in Lamar County, and as more tests are made available more positives will likely be reported.

"An increase in confirmed cases should not necessarily be as alarming as it may seem," Bell said. "It means that we are better able to identify cases and take the necessary steps to prevent the spread."

On Wednesday, the

was reported in Fannin County.