Coronavirus: Austin Bars, Restaurants Ordered To Close

AUSTIN, TX — City and county leaders on Tuesday ordered the immediate closure of bars and restaurants as the region copes with the growing threat of new coronavirus. The order took effect at noon on Tuesday, and will be in place until May 1.

In a noon press conference, also prohibited gatherings of more than 10 people in a tactic of "social distancing" meant to mitigate potential spread of the respiratory ailment that is now a global pandemic.

The developments were revealed during a noon press conference at City Hall attended by Austin Mayor Steve Adler, Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt and Interim Health Authority Dr. Mark Escott. Also in attendance were City Manager Spencer Cronk and Don Hastings, the asssitant director of the city's Environmental Health Services division.

Those entities deemed to be part of the critical infrastructure — government buildings, grocery stores, hospitals, schools and the like — are exempt from the order, Escott said. Violators will be subject to a $1,000 fine, officials said.

As it relates to the restaurant industry, dining rooms have been ordered to close amid the growing threat of illness. The efforts are being undertaken to stem the tide of growing respiratory illness, Adler explained: "Collectively and individually we get to decide as a community what kind of spike we're going to have as this virus begins to enter the general population,” he said.

Given the inevitability of financial struggle the restrictions will create for many, Adler pleaded with creditors — landlords, banks, utilities and others — to show grace for those impacted by sudden exigencies. In that vein, the city-owned utility has been directed not to shut off electricity to those in arrears, the mayor added. Similarly, Eckhardt noted landlords at public housing complexes have been directed to forestall eviction proceedings to those late on their rent.

"We recognize that that economic harm is really at this point a crisis that is every bit as large as the virus itself,” Adler said. “The larger goal is to help businesses bridge this gap. The old rules are out the window.”

Noting the status of the hospitality industry as the second-largest industry sector in Austin, Adler alluded to the likely financial hardship that will result from the coronavirus-caused restrictions: "Which is why the economic repercussions of closing SXSW, restaurant and bars is going to have a huge impact on our city," he said. "Which is why we need to focus on briging economic relief."

Eckhardt said grocery stores across the city will be accommodating consumers by organizing queues ahead of entering stores to limit the number of people inside retail establishments at one time. Given the new protocol, she asked residents to be patient as they head out for supplies.

The new crowd size limitation is a fraction of original allowable size limits mandated by city and county officials as the COVID-19 threat continues to grow. Initially, dual orders by the city and county banned gatherings of 2,500 or more — a move that forced cancellation of SXSW. Later, city and county officials amended the order to no more than 250 people per gathering even as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggested prohibitions of crowds of 50 or more.

Now, the number is 10 as the city copes to deal with the scourge. The restrictions come on St. Patrick's Day on what would have otherwise yielded countless parties among revelers hoisting verdant-hued beer in honoring the patron saint of Ireland.

Adler struck hopeful tones amid the crisis, referencing the "magical" community comprised of residents who will collectively weather the storm amid uncharted, disease-filled waters. He urged residents to look out for each other — checking in on elderly neighbors, offering trips to the grocery store to those without transportation as two examples.

Yet Escott alluded to the new reality that has lent potential danger to an otherwise mundane step of leaving one's home amid fast-spreading illness: “Check your temperature,” the health authority advised. "Make sure you don’t have symptoms before you make the decision to go out.”

Escott added: “The measures that we’re taking today are not a result of a knee jerk reaction and they are not a result of fear."

In a separate statement apart from the press conference, U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett lauded the city's action in helping curb potential spread of illness. While city and county leaders were more reflective and contemplative in tone, Doggett adopted a more strident tone in criticizing a perceived inaction by federal authorities in addressing the COVID-19 scourge.

“With little national leadership, local governments must act," Doggett said in a prepared statement. "The pain for small businesses and their employees will be great; the inconvenience to the rest of us is not inconsiderable. These drastic steps are necessary because of multiple Trump Administration failures to heed warnings and prepare. Today’s action represents the least worst alternative—to hunker down, maintain social distancing, care for one another, and work to make it through the storm."

From earlier:

AUSTIN, TX — Bars and restaurants in Austin could be ordered to close as early as Tuesday as officials mull the possibility of implementing the move to help prevent the spread of new coronavirus, with a press conference with details set for noon on Tuesday.

Austin Mayor Steve Adler has previously voiced support for such a move as health officials urge the tactic of "social distancing" to prevent the spread of the respiratory ailment known as COVID-19. Short for Corona Virus Disease 2019, the respiratory ailment first emerged in China late last year before sparking a global epidemic. The scourge is part of the coronavirus family that’s a close cousin to the SARS and MERS viruses that have grown into outbreaks in the past.

Adler will be joined by Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt during a noon press conference from City Hall — a briefing originally scheduled to occur at 11 a.m. — related to the potential mass closures. Also in attendance will be Interim Health Authority Dr. Mark Escott.

The press conference will be aired live on the city's ATXN portal and cable station. It also can be watched here:

• Livestream feed: http://media.swagit.com/austintx/atxn2/
• Facebook Live: Facebook.Com/AustinTexasGov

Watch COVID-19 press conference live here

In a tweet posted on Monday, Adler said he has been watching developments in other cities that have implemented mass closures of eateries and bars to help mitigate potential illness spread. "We have been closely watching cities across the country move to close restaurants & bars," Adler wrote. "I've been on the record of this as part of Austin's COVID-19 response."

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The briefing comes on the heels on major COVID-19 developments occurring overnight. Austin Public Health on Monday evening updated the new coronavirus illness count to 10 local cases, up from 6 over the weekend. And in Matagorda County, news of the first death in Texas from the ailment was confirmed by officials reporting the death of the second patient identified with COVID-19, a man in his 90s, on Sunday evening.

Related stories:

• Coronavirus: Austin Illness Count Now In Double Digits
• 1st Coronavirus-Related Death In Texas Confirmed
• Texas Bracing For 'Exponential' Coronavirus Spread: Governor

The local announcement also comes on the heels of Gov. Greg Abbott saying at a San Antonio press confernece that the state is bracing itself for an "exponential" increase in COVID-19 cases across the state.

If orders mandating a mass closing of bars and restaurants were to be issued, both would come on St. Patrick's Day — among the biggest days for revelry as people descend en masse to venues serving food and alcohol in staging celebrations. Such a ban also would impact the city's various entertainment districts such as the popular 6th Street corridor lined with bars and nightclubs to which largely young people descend each weekend in downtown Austin.

We have been closely watching cities across the country move to close restaurants & bars. I've been on the record in favor of this as part of #Austin 's #COVID19 response. @JudgeEckhardt & I will make a public announcement tomorrow at 11:00AM CST.
— Mayor Adler (@MayorAdler) March" class="redactor-linkify-object">https://twitter.com/MayorAdler... 17, 2020

Unlike a previous Adler-Eckhardt press conference announcing a ban on large-scale events — a prohibition leading to the cancellation of SXSW — safeguards are being taken to practice so-called "social distancing" to prevent people from congregating too close to each other and potentially spread illness. At the March 6 press conference on large events bans, reporters crammed into the small media conference room at City Hall, many sitting on the floor with their laptops to file their stories on a timely basis for their audiences.

Not this time. Amid the growing threat of COVID-19, the mayor's aide gave reporters covering the press conference strict instructions related to access: "In order to keep the media briefing safe for everyone involved, this briefing will be a POOL briefing to limit the number of people in the room," the mayoral aide wrote in an email. "ATXN is the pool camera and only one pool reporter (from CBS Austin) will be present." Moreover, reporters won't be able to ask questions personally, but submit them in advance to the pool reporter via a Google document, the aide added.

Already, major cities have been ordered the closure of bars and restaurants and bars elsewhere in the U.S. as officials negotiate around the highly contagious respiratory disease and cope with mounting illness:

• The mayor of New York City, Bill de Blasio, ordered bars and restaurants to close — leaving the latter with offering only takeout food to prevent the spread of disease exacerbated when groups of people are in close proximity. For good measure, de Blasio also ordered all nightclubs, movie theaters and concerts to close down.
• In Illinois, Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Sunday ordered the closure of bars and restaurants across the state. To that end, the governor said all such establishments to close their doors to customers by end of business on Monday, March 16, while allowing drive-thru and curbside pickup service to continue.
• In Colorado, Gov. Jared Polis issued a similar order on Monday that led to the shuttering of restaurant and bars for 30 days. The governor announced his order following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advice on banning gathering of 50 people or more.
• In Maryland, Gov. Larry Hogan on Monday ordered closures he described as "unprecedented" to protect the safety of people in Maryland from the spread of the new coronavirus. As a result, all bars, restaurants, movie theaters and gyms across the state were ordered to close by 5 p.m. Monday.
• California Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered the closing of all bars, nightclubs, wineries and brewpubs but stopped short of asking restaurant operators to close their doors. Instead, the latter are required to reduce capacity by half while practing social distancing advised by health officials.
• Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine mandated all bars and restaurants closed statewide on Sunday. Carry-out and delivery was allowed to continue, but dine-in services is barred after the order took effect by 9 p.m. the day of the order.

Related stories:

• Pritzker Orders All Illinois Bars, Restaurants Closed
• Restaurants, Bars Ordered Closed In Colorado
  
• NYC Closes All Bars And Restaurants Amid Coronavirus Spread
• MD Governor Orders Restaurants, Bars, Gyms, Theaters To Close
• All CA Bars Ordered Closed, Seniors Home Amid Coronavirus Crisis
• Ohio Governor Orders Bars, Restaurants Closed Due To Coronavirus

Unlike other governors elsewhere in the U.S. seeking to mitigate potential illness spread by closing bars and restaurants, Gov. Greg Abbott stopped short of issuing a similar ban for Texas during a Monday press conference in San Antonio. The press briefing was designed to detail the various measures taken to curb the potential spread of disease, but the governor did not include such closings as part of the state arsenal against the global scourge.

In a statement released by his office distributed by multiple media outlets, Abbott said he would leave it to cities to render such a ban.

The last time Adler and Eckhard made a related, dual announcement together, it was to reveal their mutual decision to issue emergency declarations — for the city and county, respectively — that led to the unprecedented cancellation of SXSW. The massive festival draws hundreds of millions of people to the city each year, creating an economic impact last year of some $355 million.

In the end, the massive scale of the event proved too big a risk to take as the world copes with the outbreak of a contagious respiratory ailment that has afflicted 167,513 worldwide, leading to 6,606 deaths, according to the latest numbers issued by the World Health Organization on March 16. On that same day, Austin Public Health revealed the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Travis County had jumped to 10 — four more than what had been reported over the weekend.

Dual declarations of disaster by the city and county have led to a growing list of other large-scale events in Austin. The initial declaration led to a municipal ban of gatherings of 2,500 attendees and above — prohibition parameters that proved the death knell for SXSW 2020. Later, the city amended its order with more stringent bans on groups of 250 or more.

The current municipal ban was in line with previous advice from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Larger gatherings (for example, more than 250 people) offer more opportunities for person-to-person contact and therefore pose greater risk of COVID-19 transmission," the agency said at the time. Since then, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has suggested cancellation of groups with as few as 50 people.

Related stories:

• Coronavirus: Austin Eateries Focus On Delivery, Curbside Pickup
• Coronavirus: City Of Austin Modifies Schedule, Cuts Services
• Coronavirus Forces SXSW Cancellation: Here's Why

“Large events and mass gatherings can contribute to the spread of COVID-19 in the United States via travelers who attend these events and introduce the virus to new communities,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said as part of its revamped advice, citing conferences, festivals, parades, concerts, sporting events and weddings as examples of gatherings that should be postponed or canceled outright.

Given the municipal ban on large gatherings, organizers of the Austin Reggae Festival announced they would cancel their annual musical gathering that had been planned next month. The musical event is one of the biggest fundraisers for the Central Texas Food Bank.

Short of an official order, a growing list of restaurants in Austin have voluntarily closed their doors to dine-in customers, including local favorites Home Slice Pizza and Whataburger in favor of takeout service.