AUSTIN, TX: Corona virus cases in the Austin-Travis County have dropped in recent weeks. It appears government and health officials appear to be close to easing social distancing orders.
Corona Virus Admissions Have Dropped to 10
Steve Adler, the Austin mayor, who spoke at a virtual public briefing Monday, September 28th. Adler said once Travis County’s seven-day moving average of new hospital admissions for the Corona Virus drops to 10. Soon, health officials can start to allow larger gatherings, especially outdoors. The seven-day average, as of Tuesday, was 12, with 9 new hospital admissions. These numbers were reported by the city’s online data dashboard.
Travis County Possibly Moving into Safer Status of Stage 2
If Travis County would move into the safer status of Stage 2, gatherings would increase to increase to a maximum of 25 people. Adler and Escott met Tuesday to discuss possible changes, but neither gave any specific details as to their conversation.
Order Changes Must Align With Governor Greg Abbott and Austin Mayor Steve Adler
Any changes to the orders must align with Governor Greg Abbott and Austin Mayor Steve Adler for reopening plan for Texas, according to Austin Public Health. Abbott earlier this month said hospitalizations the most important metric in tracking the spread of the Corona Virus. The governor said he primarily will use hospitalization data to decide whether it’s safe for businesses to expand capacity. In response to decreased hospitalizations earlier September, Abbott did allow businesses to extend from 50% capacity to 75%.
Restaurants, Retail, Office Buildings, Manufacturing, Gyms and More Can Their Extend Capacity
Those businesses included restaurants, retail, office buildings, manufacturing, gyms, libraries, and museums. Moreover, bars remain closed under the order. Austin bar owners have said that they are struggling to survive during the pandemic. Also, there were pleas heard from bar owners throughout the state to reopen. Abbott has allowed some bars to reclassify themselves as restaurants and reopen. However, many bars in Austin remain shuttered.