AUSTIN, Texas – The City of Austin, Travis County and Williamson County jointly issued shelter-in-place orders Tuesday.
A press conference was scheduled for noon Tuesday for leaders to formally announce the orders, but Austin Mayor Steve Adler tweeted out the Austin version out just before 10:30 a.m.
The orders go into effect at 11:59 p.m. Tuesday and are slated to remain in effect until April 13 unless city and county leaders issue another order bringing them to a halt.
Austin, Travis and Williamson county residents are instructed to shelter in place. You may leave your home in order to fulfill work functions and obtain essential services such as groceries.
Non-essential businesses must close. Employees may continue to work from home, however.
Essential businesses and services will remain open during the order, including those that provide food, water and shelter.
Public and private gatherings outside of private residences are prohibited. Non-essential travel - including by foot, scooter, motorcycle, automobile, and public transit - is prohibited. The exception is travel for essential goods and services and some job functions.
People may still go outside, however, to exercise - walking, hiking, running, etc. - provided they practice social distancing guidelines and keep six feet of space between themselves and others.
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On Sunday, Gov. Greg Abbot said it was not necessary to issuing a state-wide shelter-in-place order, citing that there are still counties in the state that do not have coronavirus cases.