Austin 'on the verge' of new stay-home orders, health official says
Austin could be looking at a return to stay-home orders as cases of the coronavirus continue to push closer to the level local officials have warned could overwhelm hospitals.
Interim Austin-Travis County Health Authority Dr. Mark Escott told members of the Austin City Council on Monday that he was “on the verge” of recommending a return to a more expansive economic shutdown if the community fails to slow the spread of the virus.
It’s unclear how such an order could materialize, as questions remain over what authority local governments have to implement more austere measures, when more lenient statewide orders issued by Gov. Greg Abbott supersede those from municipal or county officials.
University of Texas researcher Lauren Meyers, who has created models estimating the extent of the spread of COVID-19, showed council members models that estimate 2,100 deaths from the virus through September 2021.
Read more: https://www.statesman.com/news/20200629/austin-lsquoon-vergersquo-of-new-stay-home-orders-health-official-says
