Bars reopen at 50%
With hospital rates down, Governor Greg Abbott announces bars can reopen at 50% capacity next week. Entertainment businesses like amusement parks, movie theaters and zoos can expand to 75%. Governor Abbott says bars will still need to follow distance and seating protocols, much like restaurants. He also says he’s confident this reopening will go smoothly, since Texans have shown they can contain the spread of COVID.
“Protocols in place this time are better than used previously, and that is due in part to the helpful input received from bar owners and associations,” says Abbott.
County judges can opt into the new openings on October 14th as long as they assist with the enforcing of the restrictions.
Now that county judges will get a say on the reopening of bars, Travis County has a pretty big decision to make because there are quite a few bars in the county. The governor says bars need to get back up and running and health authority Mark Escott says it could be a recipe for disaster.
“The risk of transmission is going to increase so there would have to be substantial changes to the way of our functions in order to make it safe,” Escott says.
The county had already been in talks with some bar owners about strict mitigation efforts ahead of the governor’s announcement. County Judge Sam Biscoe has not said what decision he’ll make.
Austin Mayor Steve Adler is among the local leaders still not wanting to see bars opening just yet. He says if this is going to happen, it’ll have to be done responsibly.
“It could be that they discussed, kind of like, additional kinds of rules. You know, bars can operate, but maybe we do things to encourage outside activity. Maybe big bars are treated differently than the neighborhood bar that has 10 people in it,” says Adler.
Counties can begin allowing two bars to open on October 14th. However, Adler says that doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll actually be cleared to do so on that day.
COVID-19 update
Hospitalizations have dipped back down into the seventies for Travis County after climbing into the mid-eighties this week. Right now, 79 people are hospitalized for COVID, 27 people are in the ICU and 18 people on a ventilator. 670 cases are currently active. That’s one less than a day ago. 29,997 cases are confirmed overall, and 28,891 are recoveries.
In Williamson County, 8,882 cases of COVID have been found since March. As of today, 207 cases are currently active. Only 13 of those active cases require hospitalization. 8,531 people have recovered from the virus.
Letter from Grammy winning artists to City of Austin
Some major players in the world of music have penned a letter to the mayor and Austin City Council calling on more money to be pumped into the music venues. The letter signed by seven Grammy winning artists, including Lyle Lovett and Christopher Cross says the city owes it to venues to keep them afloat after generations of revenue that Austin has reaped from live music.
COVID-19 vaccine prep
Governor Greg Abbott is asking health health care providers to be prepared for when a COVID-19 vaccine is rolled out. Texas Health Department spokesman Chris Van Deusen says they’ll need to sign up with the state if they want to be able to vaccinate people.
“It is a requirement to enroll in this program through us to be able to receive the vaccine because everything will be funneled from the federal government, kind of through our process, to ship directly to those providers,” says Van Deusen.
The first people who will get the vaccine will be essential workers, people who have underlying health issues and people aged 65 older.
Armed robbers on UT campus
Police are warning people around the University of Texas campus to keep their eyes open for a pair of armed robbers that have struck four times this week. Three of the victims are UT students. Police think the same two men are behind all of the robberies and are preying on women walking alone at night. No arrests have been made.
Uber Kyle is launched
The City of Kyle is launching its new taxpayer subsidized ridesharing program, called Uber Kyle. People can now hail a ride from uber to anywhere they’d like within the city limits. The program provides a voucher allowing for 80 one-way trips. All fares of up to $10 will be subsidized, after which riders will be asked to pay $3.14.
Sheriff Chody’s evidence tampering charge
Williamson County Sheriff Robert Chody believes the tampering with evidence charge he’s facing in the Javier Rambler death is tied to a contract he signed with the TV show Live PD. He tells CBS Austin the issue involves a provision allowing footage to be deleted after 30 days.
“Unfortunately, the DA is using his office for what I believe to be political purposes. To come after me for signing a contract,” says Chody.
District Attorney Shawn Dick says no evidence has been presented to Chody’s legal team, and therefore, Chody’s statement is not accurate. Javier Rambler died in a police chase last year that ended in Travis County.
This news and more on News Radio KLBJ:
https://omny.fm/shows/klbjam-flash-briefing-1/am-newscast-10-8-20
