Photo by Roschetzky Photography
The City of Austin can expect to see $15 million worth of COVID-19 financial assistance. Activists and members of Austin’s immigrant community pushed the council to include direct cash assistance in their relief effort. Claudia Muñoz of Grassroots Leadership says half of her family have lost their jobs, leaving them scrambling for money.
“It’s an immediate and enormous need for us. It’s been really alarming because we know it will increase as time is passing,” Muñoz says.
The fund would go to nonprofits that help communities with various needs, including direct assistance. Council Member Jimmy Flannigan wants to see more groups step up.
“We want these dollars to reach as far and as wide as we possibly can;” Flannigan hopes the funds will start moving in a few weeks.
Emergency relief for utility payments has also been approved by the city council. A 10% rate reduction for water takes effect immediately, and that’s projected to offer up to $6 million in savings for customers. Utility Division Chief Andy Perny says the rates are only good through September.
“Like any of the city’s rates, they are going to expire October 1 and so future rates will just need to be addressed in the budget process like we would any rates for the upcoming fiscal year,” Perny says.
Austin energy rates, also lowered by about 4% in the city. The total savings for all utility customers will be around $46 million over several months.
The number of patients hospitalized in Austin and Travis County remains the same as it’s been for the past couple of days. The needle hasn’t moved much in either direction. Austin Public Health says there are 72 hospitalizations. Seven people have died, but 128 have made recoveries from COVID-19. Of the 642 reported cases across Austin and Travis County, 512 were between the age of 20 and 59. Williamson County crosses into the triple digits for its number of cases. 103 now reported and just under half of those 49 people have made a recovery. Only 25 of them are hospitalized and four have died. In Hays County, 24 of the 55 total infections have now made recoveries. 23 people now have the virus in Bastrop County. No numbers have been given on recoveries, but one death is still being reported.
More and more Austin businesses are being hit by burglars as their doors remain closed and people being told to stay home. Shelley Meyer, the co-founder of Wild About Music on Congress Avenue tells CBS Austin it really makes all business owners feel vulnerable because there’s not much they can do about it.
“We’re very very concerned about our survival. It really is survival at this point,” Shelly says. “It’s heartbreaking. It’s nerve racking. We’re doing all we can.”
During the first two weeks of the stay at home order, Police data shows 93 burglaries. That’s a 24% increase from the same time last year.
Texas Senator John Cornyn wants to see the payroll protection program infused with that extra $250 billion. He says it’s important to remember that tens of thousands of small business applications have not yet even been approved
“By some projections it will run out of money as early as Monday. In a sense, this has been enormously successful getting money to small businesses, encouraging them to keep their employees on payrolls,” says Cornyn.
Democrats remain at odds with Republicans over the plan. They want more money for food stamp programs and health care providers.
A federal judge here in Austin rules that abortion clinics can continue to perform certain procedures despite Governor Abbott’s ban on elective surgeries. U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel ordered that abortion clinics can continue to perform medication abortions, as well as those involving patients unable to delay due to the state’s ban on abortions after 22 weeks of pregnancy. Nancy Northup is the CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights.
“Abortion is time sensitive and essential health care, and that is why it is protected as a constitutional right,” says CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights Nancy Northup.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton says they’ll appeal the decision.
“We will once again ask the fifth circuit to uphold Governor Abbott’s decision to stop all elective medical procedures,” says Paxton spokesman Marc Rylander.
As we head into the Easter weekend, all Austin school district open spaces have now been closed off for the public. As of last night, the district banned any activities on all sport fields or courts. Officials say they’re trying to keep in line with local state home orders from the city and the county.
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