The Labor Day weekend has arrived. As Travis County remains under Stage 5 COVID recommendations, Austin Public Health is urging people to be careful if they’re among the thousands in the area who are expected to be traveling throughout the weekend.
“If you’ve been traveling anywhere, in our country in particular, we are at all parts of our country experiencing high levels of community transmission,” said Health Authority Dr. Desmar Walkes on Friday. “So, it’s important that if you’re coming back home and you’re going to be around loved ones with a compromised immune system that you protect them by wearing a mask, regardless of whether you’re vaccinated or unvaccinated.”
While COVID metrics for Austin have shown some continued progress downward, the arrival of Labor Day weekend has caused concern at Austin Public Health due to the rapid spread of the Delta variant and the lower-than-desired vaccination rates across the community.
“When we look at the number of people who are eligible for a vaccine at this time, those who are 12 years of age and older, we are at 67.5 [percent],” Walkes said.
Austin Public Health had set a goal of 70 percent vaccination by Labor Day but officials said Friday that more than 20,000 people would need to get the jab before Monday in order to reach that goal.
