Photo by Roschetzky Photography
Another death is being reported by Austin Public Health, marking the seventh person in Travis County to die of COVID-19. Interim Health Authority Dr. Mark Escott says they are also investigating a potential new cluster of the virus in the county. About 50% of the cases are between the age of 20 and 39 in all their 554 cases. Escott says the good news is hospitals still have around 50% capacity, and tests are being conducted on the blood of recovered patients to see if they have antibodies that can help others.
Williamson County has reported its fourth death related to the coronavirus outbreak. 87 people are infected, but County Judge Bill Gravell says the latest projections indicate the worst is yet to come.
“The climb will begin rapidly on the 14th in that it will peak somewhere in mid-May to early June,” says Gravell.
A UT model is predicting the number of hospitalizations in the county to reach 5,000 and possibly 100,000 infected.
The stay-at-home order for Williamson county has been extended until April 30. Officials say that was done to continue to help limit the chance of overwhelming the hospital system. It’s very possible that the order will be extended once again. Of the 61 COVID-19 cases in Hays County, 43 remain active, with seven people hospitalized. No deaths reported in Hays County. In Bastrop County, four more cases have been confirmed, bringing its total up to 15 with one death. 310 people are under investigation after showing symptoms in Bastrop County. No deaths still in Caldwell County, there are 11 confirmed cases
The city of Austin may lose 1/4 of its jobs because of the COVID-19 crisis. Economist Jon Hockenyos says that’s more than 261,000 jobs. As the shutdown drags on, the most impacted job sectors would be eateries, maintenance, personal care and sales.
“There are some people who are already unemployed, and that translates to a little over 1/4 of a 1,000,000 workers who are likely to lose their job in the Austin area,” says Hockenyos.
At the national level that data is warning of an unemployment level of about 1/3 which is reminiscent of the Great Depression.
Austin City Council will vote on a $15 million relief package tomorrow. Mayor Pro Tem Delia Garza says that money would be available for anyone, but she wants to prioritize food service workers and others who may not immediately benefit from a federal stimulus.
“This fund is specifically for this very reason. It’s our reserve to help people as quickly as possible,” says Garza.
The council will also vote on other expenditures, including more than $11 million for protective equipment for police fire and EMS.
Another local first responder has contracted coronavirus, and the Austin Fire Department says one of its employees is positive for the disease. Chief Joel Baker says medical staffers have determined that other employees who worked in the same area of that infected person are at low risk to Austin Police Department employees who also recently tested positive.
Long time Austin video rental store Vulcan Video is no more. After more than 30 years and operation, the owner said they could no longer support the business amid the uncertain future posed by coronavirus. The business, which had made its mark renting VHS tapes, had already been struggling because of the rise of DVD, Blu-ray and streaming services.
A new study by ATTOM Data Solution says Austin’s housing market should weather the storm and stand up strong even with the COVID-19 outbreak’s impact on the economy. Local Realtor Maggie Maddox tells CBS AUSTIN that the demand remains the same, and in some cases it’s increased.
“We really have a robust economy that has been, at least in the past, pretty able to withstand almost anything that happened,” says Maddox.
The thunderous sound of motorcycles echoing through downtown Austin will not be heard this year. The Annual Republic of Texas Motorcycle Rally has officially been called off. Set to kick off in June, officials say it’s been postponed until next year. This would have marked the 25th year of the ROT Rally in the City of Austin.
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