Barton Springs, Deep Eddy close indefinitely; county parks close for holiday weekend

As discussed at Monday’s City Council meeting, an increase in Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations has closed Barton Springs and Deep Eddy pools once again, effective immediately until further notice. In addition, the city will be closing all parks and recreational facilities from Friday, July 3, through Sunday, July 5. According to a news release from the Austin Parks and Recreation Department, “This includes all city parks, as well as recreational facilities (e.g. golf courses, tennis courts, boat ramps, recreation/cultural centers, museums, Austin Nature & Science Center, Zilker Botanical Garden, preserves, etc). All pre-paid park admission passes will be credited to the park patron’s account or refunded.”

Amid the record-breaking spike in cases of coronavirus, Travis County Judge Sam Biscoe is urging all local governments to cancel community events and close public spaces in advance of the Fourth of July weekend “in order to discourage social gatherings and therefore discourage spread of Covid-19.” In its own response, Travis County Parks will close all parks in its system from Thursday, July 2, at 8 p.m. to Tuesday, July 7, at 8 a.m. County officials are closely monitoring the threat to public health and are prepared to keep the park system closed until further notice if the infection rate continues to rise. A full listing of city park closures can be found at austintexas.gov/parkclosures. A list of county park closures can be found on the county’s park website. Texas State Parks remain open for day use and limited camping. More information can be found on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.