The Neighborhood Housing and Community Development Department joins other city departments this week in modifying its practices in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. NHCD staff will be now be working remotely at least until Monday, March 30. Despite the closure of its physical office, department business will proceed as usual. According to a city press release, “Clients are encouraged to continue to engage NHCD staff by phone or electronically; materials or documentation that cannot be submitted electronically should be sent via regular postal mail (Street Jones Building, 1000 East 11th Street), as staff are not in the office to receive documents in person.” Contact the department at (512) 974-3100 or email NHCD@austintexas.gov for more information.

On Friday, Gov. Greg Abbott postponed Democratic and Republican primary runoff elections from May 26 to July 14 in response to the emergency created by the COVID-19 outbreak. His decision followed the filing of a lawsuit by the Texas Democratic Party seeking to force the governor to allow all voters to participate in voting by mailing in their ballots. Under Texas law under normal conditions, only people over 65 and those with disabilities are allowed to cast their votes by mail. Republican runoffs include the race between Jennifer Fleck and Justin Berry, who are seeking their party’s nomination to run against House District 47 State Rep. Vikki Goodwin, a Democrat. On the Democratic side, local races of interest include the contest between Travis County District Attorney Margaret Moore and her challenger, José Garza, and the race between Mayor Pro Tem Delia Garza and Assistant County Attorney Laurie Eiserloh to become Travis County Attorney. Statewide, Democrats will choose between MJ Hager and Royce West to take on Republican Sen. John Cornyn.

Got any extra hand sanitizer? How about that tub of antibacterial soap that’s been sitting on the shelf? Austin Disaster Relief Network has issued a “coronavirus challenge” in an effort to get some desperately needed medical supplies into the right hands. Please consider donating “your extra supplies of personal protection goods to the medical and emergency community, to give back to them in their time of need.” Drop off your extra supplies at the back dock of ADRN Headquarters/HOPE Family Thrift Store now through Saturday, March 28, from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. ADRN is looking for the following items:

• Hand sanitizer (of all sizes)
• Antibacterial Soap
• N95 masks
• Surgical masks
• Industrial masks (N-95 or Dust)
• Disinfectant wipes
• Latex-free gloves
• Eye protection goggles/glasses (NEW)
• Face shields (NEW)
• Protective gowns (water resistant)
• Disposable food-grade gloves
• Thermometers (NEW only), old style or new style, especially non-contact version

Veronica Briseño, director of the city’s Economic Development Department, announced in a news conference Saturday that small businesses, nonprofits, homeowners and renters in Austin and Travis County suffering financial losses from the COVID-19 pandemic may now apply for Disaster Assistance Loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration. Small businesses and private nonprofits are eligible for loans of up to $2 million to pay “fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable and other bills that cannot be paid because of the disaster’s impact.” City Manager Spencer Cronk said in a news release that city staff “worked closely with county and state administrators, as well as our elected officials, to secure this resource for our community. We are excited that local small businesses and nonprofits have another source of relief from the economic impacts of this pandemic, and we are continuing to evaluate other sources of support to respond to the needs of our local businesses and their employees.” City Council is also considering an additional emergency program providing loans of up $35,000 in “gap financing” for businesses in the city waiting for their SBA loans. “We recognize that our small businesses are hurting at this time and we realize that’s there’s more solutions that need to come,” Briseño said. Find applications and information about SBA eligibility requirements at disasterloan.sba.gov.

On Saturday, the city and county opened their first COVID-19 testing site, one of 11 such sites, thanks to a public-private partnership between Austin Public Health and St. David’s, Ascension Seton, UT Health Austin (Dell Medical School) and Baylor Scott & White. According to a report on KUT.org, “The city says there is a big gap between the number of tests available and the number of people seeking a test, so sites will prioritize individuals who are sent by referral and have an appointment. Priority will be given to individuals with specific symptoms and risk factors such as travel, close contact with confirmed cases, or underlying health conditions.” KXAN reported that 50 tests were conducted the first day at the site, whose location has not been disclosed in order to protect the privacy of patients.

Council Member Greg Casar and his staff have compiled a comprehensive, coronavirus-related resource guide for the public that includes information and resources about health care, social distancing guidelines, emergency orders, testing, food banks and groceries, housing, utilities, employment and much more. Casar’s office will be updating the document regularly to keep it as accurate, so it should be considered a living document. Read the resource guide in English here, and in Spanish here.

The Moody Foundation announced Thursday it has made an initial $1 million commitment to Austin-area relief efforts. According to a press release from the foundation, those funds will go to AGE of Central Texas; Catholic Charities: Angels of Hope; Central Texas Food Bank; El Buen Samaritano; Foundation Communities; Hope Food Pantry Austin; LifeWorks Street Outreach; Meals on Wheels Central Texas; Mobile Loaves & Fishes; SAFE Alliance; Salvation Army Shelter; Sunrise Community Church; and Trinity Center. “We knew we had to do whatever we could to help our local community get back on its feet,” said trustee Elizabeth Moody. “We’re hoping this gift will provide a helping hand for our friends during this difficult time.”

In an effort to improve safe access to curbside pickup, the city’s Transportation Department is installing temporary pickup zones for restaurants that have made the now-required shift away from dine-in service to take-out and delivery. A press release from the city explains, “Austin Transportation has begun converting some paid on-street parking spaces near restaurants into free temporary loading zones to make room for more people to pick up food while practicing appropriate social distancing to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.” At the moment, the city has concentrated its efforts on areas with high concentrations of restaurants that lack loading space. As of Thursday there were about 50 loading zones on the interactive map created by the city. In person, zones are marked with blue and white signs that read “Food Pick-Up Priority.” Restaurants can request a pickup zone by filling out an online contact form at SmartMobilityATX.com.

Given the cancellation of SXSW, the calling off of tours and the shuttering of venues across the city, this has been an especially rough time for musicians. As National Public Radio has reported, Bandcamp will be forgoing its share of Friday sales, making this an easy and safe way to support local musicians directly. In a letter directly to would-be listeners, Bandcamp CEO and co-founder Ethan Diamond writes, “It may sound simple, but the best way to help artists is with your direct financial support, and we hope you’ll join us on Friday and through the coming months as we work to support artists in this challenging time.” Buy an album or two from your favorite band.

Late Monday, Gov. Greg Abbott issued a proclamation for a special election on July 14 to fill the seat being vacated by longtime Austin Sen. Kirk Watson, who is resigning to become the first dean of the Hobby School of Public Affairs at the University of Houston. Although the election for Texas Senate District 14 would normally have been called for May 2, after issuing an emergency declaration to deal with the COVID-19 outbreak, the governor was able to suspend some provisions of the state election code to allow the election to be held later. According to Abbott’s press release, the governor is consulting with the secretary of state about “additional strategies to ensure public health in relation to any upcoming election” and is authorized to “suspend the provisions of any regulatory statute prescribing the procedures for conduct of state business” if complying with the rules would “prevent, hinder, or delay necessary action in regards to a disaster declaration.” So far, state Rep. Eddie Rodriguez and Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt have said they are running for the seat Watson is vacating. Council Member Greg Casar has also expressed interest, but when contacted Monday before Abbott called the July election, Casar said he was devoting all of his time and energy to helping Austinites impacted by the pandemic. Candidates for the Senate position may file for the office starting April 29, with a deadline of May 13. If Casar decides to run, he will need to tell his colleagues he is resigning so they can set a date for a special election sometime before the November uniform election date, according to City Clerk Jannette Goodall.

All Austin Municipal Court locations are closed, with the expectation that they will reopen on March 30. According to the city’s website, “The decision is made in an effort limit the number of individuals gathering in a confined space to reduce the risks to public health.” However, people can still contact the court through phone and email to get information and, potentially, handle their cases. “All individuals are encouraged to call or email the Court in lieu of making personal appearances to take care of their court business. This includes requesting civil parking hearings by email.” As of now, all court dockets are cancelled, with cases to be rescheduled after May 8; notices of new court dates will be mailed. In addition, all due dates are now extended until May 8.

Austin Regional Clinic has launched a hotline and new safety protocols in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Clinic staff will now meet patients at the entrance of the clinics to screen for coronavirus symptoms and determine how check-in will proceed. Those who have symptoms, or have been in contact with someone who does, will be asked to return to their vehicle or another spot away from other patients until they can be escorted to an exam room. This process is intended to limit risks to others, as is a policy of limiting visitors to one per patient and discouraging visits unless necessary. More information and an informative video can be found on the ARC site. Call 866-453-4525 for the 24/7 hotline and to learn about treatment options.