City extends stay-home order

On Friday, Mayor Steve Adler announced that he would be extending Austin’s Stay Home, Work Safe order until June 15. The extension continues most of the provisions from the prior city order, “including the mandates to stay at home except as specifically allowed, avoid gatherings, observe social distancing and wear face coverings.” The extension is consistent with the statewide order that continues the requirement to minimize social gatherings and in-person contact with people from other households. “With this extended order, the city is doing everything the law allows to keep our community as safe as possible, to give the governor’s reopening of the economy the greatest chance of succeeding and being sustained and to retain for our community the ability we each have as individuals to make choices that seek to prevent our hospitals from being overwhelmed,” Adler said. The latest statewide order allows the reopening of nonessential businesses such as “bars, rodeos, in-store retail, dine-in restaurant services, movie theaters, museums, libraries, shopping malls, golf courses, wedding venues, salons and barber shops, tanning salons, pools, gyms and more. Some are limited to certain occupancy levels. It remains unclear whether resulting new interactions will lead to a spike that would overwhelm hospitals,” said the city’s announcement. Local public health officials will continue to monitor the situation.