TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas — Public officials including Austin Mayor Steve Adler and Dr. Mark Escott, Austin Public Health interim authority, have in recent days warned that the Austin-Travis County region is teetering on the brink of Stage 5 COVID-19 guidelines.
The region is currently under Stage 4 guidelines, and Stage 5 signifies the most unfettered spread of the virus and includes the most stringent guidelines.
On December 15, the region’s “Stay Home, Work Safe” – now called “Stay Home, Mask and Otherwise Be Safe” – orders were extended to February 16, 2021.
On Wednesday, Austin Public Health held a media briefing in which potential Stage 5 restrictions were discussed. Escott said the situation in Travis County is worsening and that we are experiencing more active infections than at any time in the pandemic.
On the subject of a potential curfew, Escott said the chief concern is social gatherings during evenings and that any curfew would likely take effect around 10 p.m. or 10:30 p.m. He further said that if a curfew were to be enacted, it would be focused on certain areas of risk rather than a widespread curfew that would affect a large number of businesses.
"What we’re doing now is not working and the concern is to limit the risk. We are seeing disease spread worsen. Right now, we are concerned about social gatherings in the evening. In particular, we are concerned about bars that are operating as restaurants, but still functioning as bars due to a loophole in the current guidance," Escott said. "Looking at starting curfew around 10-10:30 p.m. I don’t anticipate the consideration of a widespread curfew affecting every biz at this stage, but there is the possibility of that happening if we start to see a catastrophic surge like in El Paso. For now, it would be a focused curfew."
In addition to curfew considerations, under Stage 5 guidelines, it is suggested that only essential businesses remain open and that everyone avoids non-essential travel and gatherings involving people outside of those in a person’s immediate household. Those recommendations are in addition to social distancing measures such as avoiding the sick, wearing a facial covering, and maintaining distance from others.
Mayor Adler earlier this week specified that Stage 5 guidelines would be triggered if the region exceeds 50 daily hospitalizations over a seven-day period, which it is rapidly approaching.