Updated: April 12, 8:12 p.m.
Since Friday, the total number of reported coronavirus cases in Travis County has risen by 84 to 774, according to the latest update by local health officials April 12.
Updated: April 10, 6:31 p.m.
Travis County reported its ninth coronavirus-related death on April 10, as the number of local confirmed cases in the ongoing outbreak has reached 690.
According to local health officials, 128 of the 690 patients to have coronavirus locally since March have fully recovered.
In the state of Texas there have been 12,105 cases and 238 deaths, according to the local officials.
Updated: April 8, 11:22 p.m.
While the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Travis County increased by 43 to a total of 597 on April 8, Travis County and Austin health officials have reported that 106 of those local patients have recovered since the outbreak started in March.
Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt said April 8 that there has been a 64% reduction in nonessential activity within the county, a sign social distancing measures the community has taken on to slow down the spread of the coronavirus are working. However, based on new models from the University of Texas, government officials are putting together plans for the five-county Central Texas region based on a 50% reduction in contact by local residents. With that 50% reduction, according to the model, the metro area could expect 1.7 million cases of the coronavirus, more than 80,000 hospitalizations and more than 9,000 deaths between March 1 and Aug. 17.
Austin Mayor Steve Adler said that he has growing concerns about residents gathering at the city’s parks and trails amid strict social distancing measures and said he is considering shutting them down to the public.
Updated: April 7, 9:35 p.m.
Travis County has reported its seventh coronavirus-related death since the outbreak began locally in mid-March. As of April 7, there have been 554 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the county and the city of Austin.
Local health officials also confirmed that they were aware of and tracking eight clusters of confirmed cases in the community. Clusters are groups of cases health officials know are related to one another.
Earlier in the day, Gov. Greg Abbott announced the temporary closure of all state parks and historical sites due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. The order is effective starting April 7 at 5 p.m. until Abbott's decision to lift the order.
Original post: April 6, 5:39 p.m.
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the Austin and Travis County area rose to 502 according to an update posted April 6.
The 18-case bump between April 5 and April 6 represents one of the smallest 24-hour increases over the previous seven days. Since March 30, the city and county have reported 296 new cases, averaging just fewer than 50 new cases per day.
Earlier in the day April 6, Austin ISD reported that an employee who had previously tested positive for the coronavirus had died. Patricia “Pati” Hernandez, a longtime food service employee who has worked at the cafeteria in Casis Elementary School in Central Austin for the past 10 years, passed away April 2.
The announcement comes after Capital Metro last week reported that one of its four employees who tested positive for the coronavirus earlier had died.
Over the weekend, the city of Austin and Travis County jointly announced that the entities have adopted new Centers For Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, recommending local residents wear face masks or fabric covering when out in public.
