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Revised orders prohibit outdoor gatherings of more than 100

Monday, June 29, 2020 by Tai Moses

With cases of Covid-19 continuing to surge in Central Texas, Austin-Travis County officials have issued revised orders prohibiting outdoor gatherings of more than 100 people. The revised orders come as Gov. Greg Abbott has rolled back parts of the state’s planned reopening. According to the city’s news release, “The outdoor gathering ban does not apply to places such as swimming pools, zoos, museums, etc. as long as they are operating at no more than 50 percent of the normal operating limits. Additionally, the Governor’s Order (GA-26) stipulates there is no occupancy limit for places such as religious services, youth camps, and child-care services.” The orders emphasize that all social gatherings of over 10 people should be avoided unless the people are members of the same household. Austin’s revised order also clarifies that the requirement to wear face coverings applies to children 10 years and older. The city order continues through Aug. 15 while the county order expires on July 10. Dr. Mark Escott, interim Austin-Travis County health authority, said, “Nobody wants businesses to suffer more than they already have, but the numbers are the numbers, and the governor’s action today is essential for getting this disease back under control and to once more flatten that curve and save lives. We need people to stay home, wear masks if they have to go out and do everything they can to stay safe. We’ve all seen what happens when Covid-19 overwhelms our health care systems, including in New York City. We cannot let that happen here.” According to the county’s Covid-19 case tracker dashboard, there have been at least 8,461 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Travis County and 117 deaths, and 351 people are currently hospitalized to date.

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