Headlines

A much more tame scene at the Barton Springs spillway on Sunday (March 29) compared to the first day (March 25) of Austin's "Stay Home, Work Safe" orders, when people congregated at the spillway despite the shelter-in-place measures. Recently released modeling by UT Health and Dell Medical School suggests that unless we take these measures seriously and reduce our daily social contacts by 90%, Austin will run out of hospital space by May. (Photo by David Brendan Hall)

Don't Call It a ... On Tue., March 31, Gov. Greg Abbott issued a new executive order extending the state's social distancing mandate until April 30 and keeping classrooms closed until May 4. The order, which directs Texans to "minimize" social gatherings and in-person contact with people who live outside their household, essentially amounts to a statewide stay-at-home order, though Abbott declined to use the label in describing his latest action. A list of "essential services" that will remain open under the order may be found at www.tdem.texas.gov/essentialservices.

War on Abortion Rights Continues: Less than 24 hours after U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel ruled abortion providers in Texas could continue operating during the coronavirus pandemic, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals blocked the ruling on Tue., March 31. It will allow Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to move forward with his order that bans most abortions as part of Gov. Greg Abbott's executive order requiring the postponement of "nonessential" medical procedures during the COVID-19 outbreak. See more online.

Hotel Quarantine ... Austin's Office of Real Estate Services has leased the 292-room Crowne Plaza hotel off of I-35 in North Austin to serve as an isolation area for people experiencing homelessness who test positive for COVID-19.

Hotel Housing ... And in another hotel real estate deal, the city will close on the Rodeway Inn in South Austin on April 17. The 87-room hotel will eventually become supportive housing for people experiencing homelessness, but first it will undergo four weeks of construction to improve safety conditions.

Protecting the Front Line: According to a survey conducted by the Texas State Association of Fire and Emergency Districts, two-thirds of emergency services district first responders surveyed said they don't have enough personal protective equipment (PPE) to safely respond to COVID-19. Current demand crisis has reduced PPE supplies to critical levels for first responders and health care workers. Callers are encouraged to let 911 operators know if calls are potentially related to the coronavirus to help reduce transmission and spread.

Killer Spring Break: Austin Public Health Depart­ment is investigating a cluster of positive COVID-19 cases after 70 twentysomethings took a chartered plane to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, for spring break. Currently, 28 have tested positive for COVID-19, dozens more are under public health investigation, four of the confirmed cases did not present any symptoms, and – oh yeah – some of the spring breakers returned on separate commercial flights, further broadening the circumference of possible exposure.