COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Update from the City of Austin
District 8 staff note: This information is current as of 6:30 p.m. on 6/30.
There are currently 9,527 confirmed cases in the Austin-Travis County area and 124 confirmed deaths of local residents associated with COVID-19. There are 369 patients hospitalized with the illness, 132 in the ICU, and 64 on a ventilator. Reported recoveries from COVID-19 is at 6,560. The most up-to-date information can be found at http://austintexas.gov/covid19. The website is updated between 5:45 p.m. to 6 p.m. daily.
Over the weekend, there were over 700 new cases in the Austin-Travis County area.
Since June 1, the seven day moving average has increased 372%.
Since June 1, hospitals have seen a 400% increase in new admissions.
It is essential that Austinites stay home whenever possible and wear masks when we will come into contact with other members of the public. This includes family members who do not live in your home.
PREVENTION:
Austin Public Health has established risk based guidelines for the public to better assess their risk and what actions they should take under the current conditions that we are seeing in the community. These guidelines can be viewed here: http://austintexas.gov/page/covid-19-risk-based-guidelines. We are currently in Stage 4. Please visit the key indicators for staging dashboard to see the metrics APH is looking at to establish the risk.
As we see an increase in cases, it is critical that the public wear face coverings when conducting essential activities or work away from your home to help prevent COVID-19 from spreading. Face covers should not replace physical distancing. Please donate any medical grade masks you have to our first responders.
To prevent the spread of #COVID19, people are ordered to stay home + save lives, except for essential activities. If going out is essential, keep 6 ft of space + avoid crowds. This includes refraining from attending social gatherings of any size outside a single household, subject to stated exceptions.
TESTING:
Due to high demand, only those currently experiencing symptoms are being tested for the coronavirus.
The community enrollment tool is available for free COVID-19 testing. This form can be accessed on the City’s COVID-19 website. Create an account and answer a few questions to determine eligibility. Then, schedule testing without referral from a doctor. Completion of the assessment does not guarantee referral to a testing site, and APH will still prioritize health care workers and first responders on the frontline of the pandemic as well as people at higher risk for developing severe symptoms. All testing will be by appointment-only, but at no cost to the individual. Please refer to the press release for more information or visit http://austintexas.gov/covid19. This tool is available to residents of the Central Texas area.
If you are waiting for test results, please self-isolate immediately to help prevent the disease from spreading. This includes isolating from other family members. If an you cannot self-isolate in a room with its own bathroom, if there are members of your household who are at higher risk for serious illness, or if a member of your household is an essential worker, you should call the City’s Isolation Facility at 512-810-7554 to make arrangements for free accommodation during the infection period.
If symptoms are more severe please contact a healthcare provider immediately. If you are ill, Healthcare providers are encouraging all patients experiencing flu-like symptoms to first use mobile apps or visit websites that have been set up for COVID-19 response. Visit http://austintexas.gov/article/covid-19-information-those-who-are-sickfor more information
PLEASE NOTE: The information collected is for medical purposes only. We do not ask about immigration status or share this data beyond what is required to provide public health services.
SAVE THE DATE
District 8 Budget Engagement on July 16
You’re invited to the District 8 Virtual Budget Town Hall on Thursday, July 16 at 6pm.
Join Council Member Ellis and Deputy Chief Financial Officer Ed Van Eenoo to discuss the FY21 Budget process and the City’s COVID-19 spending framework. The presentation will be followed by a moderated Q&A session where attendees will be able to submit questions via the chat function in real time. Attendees who are calling in and not using the video platform should e-mail their questions for the panelists at budgetqa@austintexas.gov.
Register to attend using the link below. When you submit your registration, you will receive an email containing the video link and call-in number.
If you’re unable to attend, a recording of the meeting will be made available a few days after the meeting at AustinTexas.gov/Budget. We know these are challenging times for many people, which is why it's more important than ever to know what the City of Austin should prioritize in the next Fiscal Year's Budget. We want to know the priorities that are most important to you and your family. Take our survey through July 1st to share your feedback on the City's budget priorities at: https://bit.ly/3dueC4U.
Additionally, the city will hold several meetings and public hearings to discuss the budget before officially adopting the 2021 budget in August. Here are some key dates:
7/23 - Budget & Tax Rate Public Hearing
7/30 - Budget & Tax Rate Public Hearing
8/4 - Budget & Tax Rate Public Hearing
8/12 - City Council Budget Adoption
For more information on the budget process and to provide feedback, visit AustinTexas.gov/Budget.
Travis County Parks and City of Austin Facilities Closures
Prompted by an increase in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, the City of Austin will close all parks and recreational facilities from Friday, July 3 through Sunday, July 5. This includes all City parks, as well as recreational facilities (e.g. golf courses, tennis courts, boat ramps, recreation/cultural centers, museums, Austin Nature & Science Center, Zilker Botanical Garden, preserves, pools, etc). All pre-paid park admission passes will be credited to the park patron’s account or refunded. The following parks remain closed until further notice:
Bob Wentz Park
Hippie Hollow Park
Del Valle Softball Fields
Hamilton Pool Preserve
Sandy Creek Park
Starting June 30, Austin Public Health has recommended the closure of Barton Springs Pool and Deep Eddy Pool until further notice. Existing pool reservations will be canceled. Chlorinated pool facilities will continue to operate according to their posted schedules.
Travis County Parks will close all parks (including boat ramps) in its system starting Thur, July 2, 2020 at 8 p.m. and re-open on Tue, July 7, 2020 at 8 a.m. Should the threat of COVID-19 continue to rise, the park system may remain closed beyond this date until further notice.
Because of the increase in usage and its effects, the City of Austin announced late last week that the Hill of Life entrance of the Barton Creek Greenbelt will require reservations during the Fourth of July weekend.
Park Rangers will be onsite during the reservation windows monitoring admission. Reservations are free and can be made online or by leaving a voicemail at 512-974-6797.
Last Day to Vote for a Healthy Street in District 8!
A street in the OHAN/Oak Hill/Y/Scenic Brook area is a candidate to become a Healthy Street, but we need your help to make it official! Today is the last day to submit input to the Austin Transportation Department's Healthy Streets Candidate Map to submit your support, concerns, or comments. Click on "Red Willow - South Brook Drive" on the right hand side of the screen and the map will automatically zoom to that location. Click on the Comment icon in the column and submit your comments.
More Healthy Streets candidates will be announced over the coming months, so stay tuned!
About Healthy Streets: Healthy Streets are neighborhood streets that are opened up for walking and bicycling by implementing temporary traffic control devices. These devices may include signage, traffic cones and barricades which limit motor vehicle traffic to residents, their guests, and other services, including emergency services. Learn more at austintexas.gov/HealthyStreets.
Free Clothing Pickup at Austin Residences
Austin Resource Recovery (ARR) has partnered with Goodwill Central Texas to launch the City’s Clothing & Housewares Curbside Collection Program. As of June 22, 2020, all ARR customers will be able to schedule a free at-home pickup of unwanted clothing, shoes, accessories, toys, linens and housewares.
A recent study estimated 6.6 million pounds of clothing and textiles are going to the landfill each year. “This partnership will allow us to reduce the number of textiles going to the landfill while also supporting the local reuse economy and giving clothing and housewares a second chance at life,” said Austin Resource Recovery Director Ken Snipes. Items that are collected will be sorted and sold at Goodwill stores in the area. Whatever cannot be sold in their retail stores will be sent to the Goodwill outlet stores, then baled and sold on the commodities market.
ARR customers can visit austintexas.gov/clothing or call 512-637-7190 to schedule a clothing and housewares pickup. Goodwill will send them a collection bag in the mail that the customer can fill with their unwanted items. Lastly, the customer will set the bag out for collection on the scheduled pick-up date.
Early Voting for the primary runoff and special election for Senate District 14 (Senator Kirk Watson's former seat) is underway. During the Early voting period, voters can visit ANY polling location in the Austin/Travis County area. Please note that grocery stores are not polling locations this cycle. New precautions are in place to minimize the spread of coronavirus including finger coverings and sanitation of voting machines every 15 minutes. Voters are asked to wear masks and maintain social distancing.
View your sample ballot, locations, wait times, and more at votetravis.com.
Early Voting Runs June 29-July 2 and July 5-10
Polls are closed July 3rd and 4th
Polls are open:
7 a.m. - 7 p.m. Monday through Friday
Sunday, July 5th 12:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
City of Austin Launches "How to Help" Campaign
The City of Austin launched an online “How to Help” campaign to bring together the COVID-19 related needs of local nonprofit, faith-based, and government programs, inviting community members to contribute to the response.
To participate, community members go to https://howtohelpaustin.givepulse.com to review the volunteer and donation listings from local organizations like SAFE, Front Steps, the Pease Park Conservancy, and more. Once they find the listing that speaks to their values and abilities, they are able to sign up or complete a transaction within the site.
The first phase of the campaign launched in early June to educate and engage nonprofits responding to COVID-19 on how to participate. Partners including the UT Center for Community Engagement, Community Advancement Network, ACC Center for Nonprofit Studies, and Generation Serve have helped share the opportunity with nonprofit and faith-based organizations.
The City has recruited partnering organizations to help the campaign reach as many organizations and volunteers as possible, including the UT Center for Community Engagement, the Community Advancement Network, Travis County, ACC Center for Nonprofit Studies, and Generation SERVE. Community organizations interested to join the campaign by listing needs or promoting the opportunity to serve can learn more at http://austintexas.gov/department/covid-19-how-help-austin.
Ways To Help
Visit the City of Austin's "How To Help" nonprofit needs bank. City of AustinSupport black-owned businesses in Austin. (Multiple links) KXAN // Austin 360Help Austin restaurant workers impacted by the coronavirus. Eater AustinDonate to Austin organizations promoting racial equity.Austin MonthlyGrow your reading list with selections from an antiracist book list. (Multiple links) Austin Public Library //New York TimesRead or listen to The 1619 Project. New York Times
