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502 are people now confirmed to have COVID-19 in Austin and Travis County. The number of deaths remain at six. Williamson County now has 81 cases and 3 deaths but 34 of those cases have recovered. 43 cases are still active in Hays County and 11 in Bastrop County. One death is reported in Bastrop County, a man in his fifties from Elgin. Caldwell County reporting 11 total cases.
Williamson County is creating a nursing home wing in Round Rock specifically for seniors infected with COVID-19. County Judge Bill Gravell says they do have the medical staff necessary.
“Our seniors, god forbid if someone were to test positive, now we have a good safe place to put them and to care for them as they walk through this.” Gravell says that it’s part of the county’s effort to prepare ahead of time for a possible worsening crisis.
Governor Greg Abbott says we have enough hospital beds to meet the needs of the state for now; “there are 21,033 available beds statewide, including 2,223 ICU beds that are available.”
Abbot says we’re using more ventilators, down from over 8,857 a week ago to 6,080 now. He says there are also 7,350 anesthesia machines with vents that could be used if needed.
The Austin School District loses a longtime food service worker. Patty Hernandez worked at Casis Elementary for the past decade. Principal Samuel Tinnon tells CBS Austin she passed away last week, becoming the fourth person to die in Travis County.
“She was definitely a beloved member of our family and because the cafeteria staff was just so small in number, there were only three persons. Her and our cafeteria manager were very close,” says Tinnon.
However, COVID-19 has not been confirmed as the sole cause of her death. Austin Public Health says the virus likely does not transmit through food.
The Round Rock School district says an employee who was part of the food distribution team in Anderson Mill Elementary has tested positive for the virus. Officials say all other members of that food service team are now in quarantine for the next two weeks. Meal distribution will continue, albeit with a different group of employees.
The Lockhart School Board votes in favor of providing wireless Internet to every student and staff member across the whole of Caldwell County. The board voted to acquire seven cell towers to increase that wireless coverage. The move comes following survey results showing 40% of students didn’t have access to online classes. That full coverage should be up and running by July.
The Bee Cave Police Department is cracking down on people not following stay-at-home orders. Several citations have been handed out already, including a car full of people hanging out at the Galleria recently. The department says officers will continue to respond to calls, as they always have, but officials say they’d rather the community just comply with the order so officers don’t have to.
Austin city health leaders are explaining the face mask request is more to protect people around you than you yourself. Austin Public Health Dr. Mark Escott explains that a homemade face mask won’t protect you from COVID-19 but it can help keep your bugs to yourself.
“This has to be used combined with social distancing,” Escott says. “This is not a substitute. It shouldn’t give you any sense of comfort that you can move closer than six feet between people. So in combination, this could be an effective way to help further flatten the curve and prevent the spread.”
Escott says any M95 mask should be reserved for those with the most chance of interacting with the virus like medical workers and first responders.
Fayette County Judge Joe Weber orders all hotels, motels, bed & breakfast and Airbnb rentals to be closed indefinitely for people who are traveling through the county from elsewhere. Weber says he will not allow people who are in violation of state orders to jeopardize the safety of Fayette County residents. That order will take effect at noon today.
https://omny.fm/shows/klbjam-flash-briefing-1/am-newscast-4-7-20
