Academic school year during COVID-19
School starts today for kids in the Austin school district. Travis County Health Authority Mark Escott says parents need to make sure kids are prepared for this year is possible and stay very prepared for what it will take to stay protected when campuses begin reopening.
“A backpack with two or three masks is a good idea. I know that because I have a son and I know if I give him one mask, he’ll lose it in the first 15 minutes,” Escott says.
Kids will not be returning to campus immediately. For the first four weeks, virtually all classes will be held online. On October 6, campuses will begin phasing kids back into classrooms in limited capacity, although it could be up to 50% capacity by that time.
Leander students have been back in the virtual classroom for a few weeks, and today some will start the return to campuses. As that happens, the district is warning someone on the Akin Elementary campus has tested positive for COVID-19. They’re not giving any specifics as to who that may have been. Officials have said that a positive case could have the potential to move an entire classroom back into a virtual setting. Whether or not that will happen here is still unclear.
COVID-19 update
The number of coronavirus patients in Travis County who need a ventilator has continued to fall along with overall numbers of hospitalized patients. Today, 127 people are in the hospital, 26 of them are on a ventilator. The county surpassed 27,000 total confirmed cases over the long weekend. By the end of today, it’s very likely the number of recoveries will have climbed above 26,000. Right now, 25,849 people have recovered from the virus.
There’s been a rapid decline in the number of active COVID-19 cases in Williamson County. After months of pretty high numbers, the county’s total active caseload is nearly back into the double digits. In total, 8,024 cases are confirmed. Of those, 104 are still said to be active. 7,794 people have made recoveries.
Austin’s reopening risks
Austin leaders are a bit worried about bars that are finding ways to reopen their doors. Austin Public Health Director Stephanie Hayden says education is the top priority. They will have staffers out enforcing COVID rules at bars or restaurants as some have rebranded themselves.
“For us in order to safely return our young people to school and allow them to remain in school, we have to be very, very intentional,” says Hayden.
Other leaders say the last time bars reopened, it turned out to be a disaster for the fight against COVID-19.
Extended state disaster declaration
Governor Greg Abbott has extended the state disaster declaration for all counties. It was first issued in mid-March, when coronavirus cases were beginning to crop up, and it has been renewed each month for an additional 30 days. The state’s positivity rate has fallen way down, as it’s now below 8% for the first time since June. Abbott says he still feels it’s necessary to extend that disaster declaration by another 30 days.
Austin hotel industry boost
Austin’s hotels got a bit of a boost during Hurricane Laura evacuations. Hospitality analytics company STR says local hotels were 34% more full between August 23-29 compared to one week prior to that. Overall occupancy was above 57%. That’s huge compared to virtually all other weeks during this pandemic. Austin is one of six cities in the state reporting a double digit increase for that week.
Mayor Adler responds to state leaders
With violent and property crime rates headed up in Austin, Mayor Steve Adler is pushing back against talk from state leaders about stripping the city of its authority over police.
“We are staying focused on trying to keep our city as safe as we possibly can. Austin is the safest of all of the five big cities in Texas,” says Adler.
Police officers have expressed frustration, saying they feel vilified by the city council. Adler says the city does support police, but he says the council has no plan to cede control over APD to the Department of Public Safety.
Robberies in Austin
Robbery is among the crimes on the rise around Austin. It’s happening at a time as the council’s actively reducing the ranks of APD. This store clerk, who is choosing to remain anonymous, told FOX-7 he’s been robbed at gunpoint twice, most recently about a week ago.
“They need more police in Austin. Really, really more police in Austin, now. I’ve never seen Austin like this before,” he says.
According to Austin police data, robberies have increased by 9%. By September of last year, there had been 70 fewer robberies reported than there have been so far this year.
This news and more on News Radio KLBJ:
https://omny.fm/shows/klbjam-flash-briefing-1/am-newscast-9-8-20
