Photo by Roschetzky Photography
There are some hints that bars will reopen in the coming weeks. Some Austin bars are trying to stay ahead of the curve. Bob Woody owns and manages a dozen bars downtown and tells CBS Austin people will have to get used to a lot of changes including no more dance floors.
“We’re going to spray everybody’s hands on the way in the door and if you don’t want your hand sprayed, you’re not coming in,” says Woody.
He’s also asking the city not to block off the street to vehicle traffic on the weekends to limit the chance that people might gather in groups. There are at least 10 bars that he knows will not survive this shutdown.
As of tomorrow, barbers and salons that choose to reopen will be able to do so. Dr. John Carlo with the Texas COVID-19 task force is still not sure how possible its going to be to maintain social distancing.
“It’s very hard to cut hair without going inside that six feet of distance so there is going to be some risk,” says Carlo.
Both the barber and the client can wear masks, and that should minimize the risk. If you do plan to get your haircut soon; get in, get out and do not hang around the waiting areas.
The City of Austin is coming to grips with the fact that coronavirus has drained coffers of a sizable amount of money. District 6 Council Member Jimmy Flannigan tells Fox 7 tax revenue is drying up.
“Our budget staff has said that the impact to sales tax collections was in the $40-$50 million range and that is this fiscal year,” Flannigan says.
Hotel taxes have also been hit very hard which impacts the music scene and the convention center. Flannigan is hoping the city can expedite federal dollars to help bridge some of those growing gaps.
The Austin City Council is looking at making a community resilience plan and an office to go along with it. Council members and supporters say this is a better way to plan for crises to keep the community involved and bounce back faster. Council Member Leslie Pool explains this could also add to the city’s staff officer count.
“I’m hopeful that we’ll be able to fund innovatively and through partnership a chief resilience officer who would guide this effort and ensure that it adapts well,” says Pool.
Some on the council question if this is a task that is already being handled by existing departments. Supporters saying it would broaden the scope of what it means for a city to be resilient.
617 people recovered from coronavirus in Travis County, but the number of hospitalizations has ticked upward of 94 that is higher than normal. In all, 1,946 confirmed cases have been reported and 57 deaths. The majority of the cases involve men between the age of 30-39.
Stopping COVID-19 from transmitting in the Salvation Army’s downtown Austin Shelter has not been easy. 14 of 39 people staying there tested positive last month, Major Lewis Reckline tells KXAN many of them are already more vulnerable to catching it than others.
“Most of them aren’t as fortunate as other people to be able to go to a doctor when they need it. So their immune system is not strong to start,” says Reckline.
Seven of the 14 were asymptomatic, further highlighting the challenge that shelters are facing. The downtown Salvation Army shelter has reopened after being closed for three weeks.
The Housing Authority of the City of Austin getting more than $800,000 from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. It’s part of the $20 million that’s been allocated to Texas to address costs related to taxpayer supported housing during the pandemic. The city can use the money to clean and sanitize common surfaces, provide transport or even provide child care.
A dozen people have now died in Williamson County from coronavirus. Officials say a man in his nineties passed away yesterday. It’s not known if he was a resident of a nursing home, but the county has been struggling to contain the virus in some of those facilities. 199 people have recovered out of 341 total cases.
Hays County’s number of recoveries keeps on climbing. As of this morning, 117 people have recovered out of 195 cases. Eight people are still in Hays County hospitals. The county has not seen any new deaths since a woman in her eighties from Buda became the county’s first and only COVID-19 death last month.
Governor Greg Abbott has put Dallas County in the crosshairs following the jailing of a salon owner who defied orders and reopened her business. Abbott tells Fox News that no one should be put behind bars for that, especially when local leaders are giving other criminals a pass.
“The Dallas County District Attorney announced a policy that he is not going to prosecute any thief who steals things valued at less than $750.”
Salon owner Shelly Luther was given seven days in jail, $3,500 fine and a $500 per day fine that her salon remains open. Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick has now offered to pay those fines for her.
This news and more at News Radio KLBJ:
https://omny.fm/shows/klbjam-flash-briefing-1/am-newscast-5-7-20
