Austin and AG真人百家乐 County residents are doing a 鈥済reat job鈥� preventing the spread of the coronavirus in the area, Austin Public Health鈥檚 interim health authority said during a news conference Wednesday.
Dr. Mark Escott said the area reached its goal of reducing the positivity rate to below 5% before schools started class. Despite positive COVID-19 data trends, he warns people have to resist the temptation to relax safe distancing and hygiene measures.
鈥淭he biggest concern is keeping the vigilance going,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 think we鈥檙e all very concerned about 鈥榩andemic fatigue鈥� and folks just growing tired of masking and social distancing.鈥�
The number of cases in the area has plateaued again, he said. The seven-day average of new COVID-19 hospitalizations has been stuck near 20 for about two weeks, keeping the city in stage 3 of its .
Escott said he has concerns about discussions around reopening bars and the upcoming Texas Longhorn football game at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on Saturday. UT Austin is limiting the stadium鈥檚 capacity to 25%, but that could still result in a gathering of more than 20,000 people.
鈥淚s it better than 50%, which was the original proposal? Absolutely, and I鈥檒l say that I鈥檓 pleased that UT has dropped that number and banned tailgating,鈥� Escott said. 鈥淏ut there鈥檚 still going to be risk there.鈥�
Based on the current rate of transmission in the county, Escott said about 40 to 50 people could show up to the game infected with the virus.
Sunday will mark six months since Austin Public Health reported the first positive case of COVID-19 in AG真人百家乐 County. As of Wednesday, the area has confirmed more than 27,000 cases, and 399 people have died from the disease.
Escott said despite the positive progress, and with the holidays approaching, people will need to continue with safe measures to prevent the spread of the disease.
鈥淭he pressure to be more normal is going to increase,鈥� he said. 鈥淥bviously our focus right now is on keeping our schools open and safe and keeping our business open and safe. We can do all those things if we stay vigilant.鈥�
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