Coronavirus: Austin Extends 'Stay Home, Work Safe' Order

AUSTIN, TX — The mayor of Austin on Friday extended the city's "Stay Home, Work Safe" order until June 15 amid growing rates of the coronavirus.

The extended order takes effect at 11:59 p.m. on Saturday, according to an advisory, coinciding with a Travis County version. To that end, the order mandates that residents stay home except for the most essential of outings, avoid large gatherings, observe physical distancing and wear protective face coverings.

The move comes on the heels of Travis County having exceeded the 3,000 mark in terms of illness rates since records have been kept — reaching 3,124 diagnoses to date. With one new death from respiratory illness reported on Thursday, the fatality count to date has reached 92.

In an email, Austin Mayor Steve Adler noted the changes conform the city's extended order to the governor-led statewide orders centered on business reopening with which the city's directives may have been in conflict.

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As part of the order, gatherings of more than 10 people are allowed in line with the city's current Risk-Based Guidelines. The extended City order is consistent with the governor’s statewide order which maintains and continues the requirement that everyone “...shall minimize social gatherings and in-person contact not in the same household” except as specifically allowed.

The city’s order recognizes the growing list of exceptions allowed by the statewide order, the mayor wrote in an emailed advisory. The municipal order conforms to the governor’s prohibition of local enforcement of mitigation behaviors, recognized as furthering public health, with confinement and the specific prohibition against any local civil or criminal penalty for the failure to wear a face covering, Adler noted.

“With this extended Order, the city is doing everything the law allows to keep our community as safe as possible, to give the governor’s reopening of the economy the greatest chance of succeeding and being sustained and to retain for our community the ability we each have as individuals to make choices that seek to prevent our hospitals from being overwhelmed,” Adler said.

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Under the latest statewide executive order which initiated greater social and business interactions, certain non-essential businesses and services may reopen including bars, rodeos, in-store retail, dine-in restaurant services, movie theaters, museums, libraries, shopping malls, golf courses, wedding venues, salons and barber shops, tanning salons, pools, gyms and more. Some are limited to certain occupancy levels.

The mayor said it remains unclear whether resulting new interactions will lead to a spike that would overwhelm hospitals. Local public health officials will continue to monitor multiple indicators, including but not limited to infections and hospitalizations.

To that end, it will take data from over the next three to four weeks to assess changes in policies enacted over the last couple weeks, the mayor said. On Thursday, the mayor was joined by other officials in highlighting the need to keep daily hospitalizations to 20 and below in order to proceed with a full reopening of the local economy.

The latest statewide order remains in effect through June 3, and is subject to extension based on the status of COVID-19 in Texas, the mayor noted. State officials have indicated the Texas order may also be extended based on recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the White House Coronavirus Task Force.

Austin Public Health continues to remind our community of the importance of practicing good hygiene, physical and social distancing, and wearing face coverings to help keep each other safe.

Public Enrollment Testing Information

The public is encouraged to fill out the Public Enrollment Testing Form at www.austintexas.gov/COVID19 to determine eligibility for a free COVID-19 test. To learn more about how to take the self-assessment watch this quick guide also available in Spanish. Those approved for free testing, can schedule an appointment at a drive-thru testing site. Health officials urge those experiencing severe symptoms such as chest pain, difficulty breathing, confusion or a fever that doesn’t respond to medication, to call 9-1-1 or go to the emergency room.

For more information and updates, visit www.austintexas.gov/COVID19.