COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Update from the City of Austin
District 8 staff note: This information is current as of 6:36 p.m. on 5/14.
There are currently 2,345 confirmed cases in the Austin-Travis County area and 74 confirmed deaths of local residents associated with COVID-19. There are 93 patients hospitalized with the illness, 35 in the ICU, and 19 on a ventilator. Reported recoveries from COVID-19 is at 826. 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.
Austin-Travis County still requires using fabric or cloth face coverings when conducting essential activities or work away from your home to help prevent asymptomatic carriers 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 + work safe, 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.
Please continue practicing good hygiene and maintaining social distance. It is important to remember solidarity is key to keeping us together. Social distancing does not mean social isolation. Keep in touch with your family, friends and neighbors. It's important that social distancing does not become social isolation. Keep in touch with your family, friends, and neighbors digitally and via phone.
TESTING:
We’ve established a community testing enrollment tool. This new public testing 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.
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-sick for more information.
Healthy Streets Initiative
Click on the photo to watch a video of an open street in New York City.
During this unprecedented time, Austinites have to get creative to fill their need for exercise and fresh air. Many Austin residents do not live within walking distance of a park, and others report feeling unsafe by the influx of visitors in parks and on trails. On May 7, City Council approved a resolution by Council Member Ellis for the City to create a slow streets initiative called “Healthy Streets.” The Healthy Streets Initiative will temporarily create safe outdoor spaces for residents to walk, bike, push strollers, and travel in wheelchairs while social distancing requirements are in effect to reduce the transmission of COVID-19.
Modeled upon successful slow streets initiatives rolling out in cities across the nation and beyond, Austin’s Healthy Streets will typically look like neighborhood streets that have temporary barriers deployed to discourage vehicular through-traffic and slowing the street for outdoor activity, while still allowing access to homes on that street. By limiting car traffic on selected neighborhood streets, we can increase the availability of places to walk and get outdoors while still maintaining the social distancing necessary to fight the spread of COVID-19.
The City will consider cost-efficiency measures in implementing the Healthy Streets Initiative, such as partnering with community groups to recruit volunteer block captains who can help monitor and maintain the temporary street blockades.
The Healthy Streets Initiative will have a phased rollout with the first batch of streets deployed within two weeks. The City will be seeking public input on appropriate and desirable locations for the Healthy Streets Initiative, with a goal to distribute them throughout the city as quickly as possible. The Austin Transportation Department is expected to announce a website for residents to nominate streets soon. We will report the link in our next newsletter. Follow her on Twitter to find out as soon as it goes live! We look forward to hearing the community’s ideas for where they would like to see Healthy Streets.
CapMetro will be hosting a virtual community meeting with Districts 5 and 8 on Thursday, May 28 at 6 p.m about the planned impact of Project Connect in those districts. Council Members Kitchen and Ellis will be on the call, as well as CapMetro CEO Randy Clarke. You can register for the virtual meeting and view the agenda here.
If you are unable to attend the meeting, you can view the virtual open house anytime through May 31.
You can view the current recommended system plan here.
Relief of Emergency Needs for Tenants (RENT) Funding
On Monday May 4, the Neighborhood Housing and Community Development Department (NHCD) launched the RENT program in partnership with the Housing Authority of the City of Austin (HACA) to provide $1.2 million in emergency rent assistance for qualified tenants needing help with payments in May. Applications closed on Wednesday May 6. Applicants who are unable to pay their May 2020 rent needed to meet the following criteria:
Live in the City of Austin
Have an income of less than 80% median family income
Faced a job loss or loss of income due to COVID-19
Not receiving other government assistance to pay this month's rent
Over 10,000 applications were received in the three-day period. Additional data and information will be made available on HACA’s atxrenthelpinfo.org.
City of Austin Budget Engagement
The City is committed to an inclusive and transparent budget development process that utilizes resident and stakeholder feedback to ensure budget priorities are being met.
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. The City's Financial Department has created a form to gather input on the priorities that are most important to Austin families.
Learn more about the City of Austin Budget and share your feedback by visiting https://www.speakupaustin.org/budget-2021.
Eating Apart Together (EAT) Initiative
COVID-19 has changed how everyone in Austin gets food. With more restaurants closing and fewer people handing out donations, finding reliable sources of food is more important than ever. The City of Austin and partners across the community created the Eating Apart Together (EAT) Initiative to get food to people experiencing homelessness through the COVID-19 response.
About the EAT Initiative
The EAT Initiative was formed to get much needed nutrition to those who need it in a way that helps them participate in the public health response to COVID-19. It is a collective effort led by the City of Austin that includes:
Central Texas Food Bank
The Other Ones Foundation
Integral Care PATH program
City of Austin and Travis County
Revolution Foods
Angel House Soup Kitchen - Austin Baptist Chapel
Dell Medical School
More community organizations
The initiative is part of the City’s Social Services Arm of the Emergency Operations Center and includes members from Austin Public Health, the Office of Sustainability, Parks and Recreation Department, Watershed Protection, Austin Public Library, and Communications and Public Information Office. Those interested in helping add food or people power to the initiative can reach out to Zack Shlachter at Zack.Shlachter@austintexas.gov.
Travis County is only at a 57.9% completion rate for the 2020 Census. Please spread the word to your friends and neighbors about the importance of filling out their census! Our responses impact federal and state government funding for our community, including education, healthcare, SNAP benefits, transportation infrastructure, and more. You can fill out your census form online here.
The City Demographer kindly gave us a breakdown of completion rates by neighborhood in District 8. Please check in with your neighbors and spread the word on Facebook to increase participation!
District 8 Artbox Survey
"Artboxes" are traffic signal cabinets that local artists transform into vibrant civic art pieces. New artbox installations are planned for the following Austin intersections this spring:
Local artists Cody Schibi, Christy Stallop, Anna Ganina, and Elizabeth Sullivan were selected to design these artbox projects in Districts 5, 6, 8, and 10 respectively. Each artist created two design options that reflect input from nearby residents about the unique character of the local community. Now it's up to Austinites to choose which designs will adorn their street corner!
District 8 residents are asked to complete a survey to select which design they'd like to see on their Artbox by Thursday, May 21. For more information about Artboxes, please visit http://austintexas.gov/page/artbox-program.
Ways To Help
Austin-Travis County partnered with local nonprofits in a coordinated food delivery service program for those experiencing homelessness. Donations to the Central Texas Food Bank and The Other Ones Foundation would be greatly appreciated to help with this effort. LinkWe Are Blood is in need of donations of blood and platelets. LinkWe Are Blood is asking for donations of convalescent plasma from individuals who have recovered from COVID-19 to help treat current patients. Link Oak Hill United Methodist Church is offering assistance to residents who are 60+ years old and cannot leave their home. They are also seeking volunteers who are able to help. LinkThe Red River Cultural District is seeking donations for unemployed venue workers, musicians, creatives, service industry, and production workers. LinkThe Austin Creative Foundation created the Stand with Austin Fund to support nonprofits assisting individuals and small businesses most impacted by the SXSW cancellation. LinkAustin ISD is seeking financial assistance to help with their portable meal service, telehealth medical appointment fees, and support for remote learning. LinkSupport your favorite locally-owned businesses by ordering take-out, delivery, or purchasing gift cards.
