Austin Brings Back COVID-19 Protocols After Rise In Cases

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The city of Austin and public health officials on Thursday raised the city’s guidelines based on the risk of coronavirus for the first time since the winter wave, urging unvaccinated people to avoid non-essential travel and take extra care. ‘other precautions after seeing a dramatic increase in new cases of COVID-19 and hospitalizations in recent days.

Officials have blamed at least some of the blame on the dangerous and highly transmissible delta variant of the virus, which recently contributed to similar spikes in more populous areas of Texas.

“We cannot pretend that we are done with a virus that is not done with us,” Austin Mayor Steve Adler said at a press conference Thursday.

But the city’s transition to Stage 3 guidelines carries no legal weight because Gov. Greg Abbott banned pandemic warrants in May. It also only applies to the unvaccinated city population; guidelines recommend that vaccinated people need only take precautions when traveling.

The move marks the first time a major city in Texas has reinstated increased health protocols since dropping mask mandates, removing trade restrictions and resuming major events in the spring and summer as cases of COVID-19 and hospitalizations were collapsing.

Earlier this week, health officials in Williamson County, a suburb north of Austin, reported that their new case rates and hospitalization rates – though still low – had doubled over the course of the year. last week. The numbers prompted the county’s health department to officially raise the county’s COVID risk status to “high community spread.”

Step 3 guidelines for Austin mean unvaccinated or partially vaccinated residents should avoid gatherings, travel, shopping, and restaurant meals, unless activities are essential, and wear mask when leaving. their home.

The city guidelines currently contain no recommendations for businesses, which have been subject to internal capacity and service limits intermittently throughout the pandemic. They have been out of warrant since Abbott lifted them statewide in March.

Adler told the Tribune in an interview on Tuesday that he hasn’t ruled out the possibility of stronger measures from the city if those measures don’t reduce the numbers, even if they don’t have Abbott’s backing.

“[Abbott has] indicated from the start that he would follow the science and the data, and that’s all we’re trying to do here, ”Adler said. “We don’t like and don’t want to disagree with the governor. That said, we will need to do everything we can to ensure the safety of our community as much as possible. “

He did not say what else could be done to stem the surge.

“If the numbers don’t improve, there has to be some sort of future action, and there are a lot of different forms that could take,” he said.

The city moved to Stage 5, the highest level of restrictions, in December – just ahead of the deadliest outbreak of the pandemic to date. By mid-March, the city had returned to stage 2 for the first time during the pandemic.

Among the alarming trends cited by Austin and Travis County health officials on Thursday: Average number of new daily cases has tripled, COVID-19-related hospital admissions are on the rise, COVID cases -19 in children is on the increase and 20% of the more than 100 people with COVID-19 in hospitals in the region are on ventilators, while 41 are in the intensive care unit. Austin has asked the state for more staff to help local hospitals and intensive care units deal with the surge in patient numbers.

Almost all hospital patients are not vaccinated, said Dr Desmar Walkes, of the Austin-Travis County Health Authority. Authorities have urged residents to get vaccinated if they haven’t already, saying vaccination is the best way to stop the spread of the virus.

“It has to stop, and we know how to make it happen,” Walkes said. “We hope that this self-correction that we are doing with the transition to stage 3 status will help us get back to a place where our cases are down again.”

At least 60% of Austin residents are fully vaccinated, and Travis County, where Austin is located, has the third highest vaccination rate among urban counties in the state, which are also starting to report an increase in cases. and hospitalizations.

Austin’s announcement comes as life has returned to normal before the pandemic across Texas in recent weeks and months. As recently as this week, the Palmer Events Center in Austin announced that it would be resuming its events, which in the past included conventions and weekend events that draw tens of thousands of people.

Texas recently ended its pandemic assistance program for the unemployed, and school districts are no longer allowed to impose masks under most circumstances.

Disclosure: Steve Adler, former chairman of the board of the Texas Tribune, financially supported The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, non-partisan news organization funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial support plays no role in the journalism of the Tribune. Find a full list of them here.