Council meeting Thursday

Like all of our own ruined plans, City Council’s summer break is turning out to be not much of a break at all. In a message on the City Council Message Board, Mayor Steve Adler announced that Council will once again convene this week to discuss “Covid-related items.” In addition to a regular briefing from Austin Public Health, the meeting will take a look at two ordinances from Adler’s office that would give the city “additional enforcement tools” without running into conflict with state orders. (Those who are itching for a preview can find those ordinances here and here.) In recent days, Adler has spoken to national and local media about the idea of shutting down the city, though that would currently not be consistent with state orders. In the meantime, Austin’s Covid-19 cases continue to rise. As of Monday, 69 people were admitted to area hospitals, bringing the number of patients currently hospitalized to 466.