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Tag Archives: COVID-19
Council approves funding for isolation hotel
After a brief discussion about the need to continue the search for temporary and permanent housing for Austinites experiencing homelessness, City Council unanimously approved an agreement with the owner of the La Quinta Inn at 5812 N. Interstate 35 Thursday.…
City Council • By Jo Clifton • Sep 4, 2020
Thousands of free masks and hand sanitizer will be given out in Travis County's Covid-19 hot spots
Lee esta historia en español. Tens of thousands of face masks and bottles of hand sanitizer will be distributed for free in coronavirus hot spots in the Austin area, public health officials announced Wednesday. The distribution events, the first of…
Public Health • By Andy Jechow, KUT • Sep 4, 2020
New Austin Public Health plan addresses Covid-19 disparities in Hispanic/Latinx community
Austin Public Health has revealed a new draft strategic plan to tackle disparities in Covid-19 cases in the city’s Hispanic/Latinx community. The plan, developed by the Hispanic/Latinx strike team within APH’s new Social Services Branch, is divided into four strategic…
Public Health • By Savana Dunning • Sep 2, 2020
Thousands are out of work, but home sales in Austin are doing fine — better than fine. What gives?
Blake Taylor wants to be rid of the house she hardly leaves. Taylor lives with lupus, an autoimmune disease, and is terrified of what it would mean if she caught Covid-19. She’s been extra careful. When she heads to HEB…
Housing • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Aug 25, 2020
Ethics commission discusses transparency in unbroadcast meeting
As Covid-19 has pushed city meetings online, questions about public participation have taken center stage, with community members and commissioners alike struggling with cumbersome web platforms and long waiting times on phone lines. The topic came before the Ethics Review Commission…
City Hall • By Jessi Devenyns • Aug 24, 2020
Here's how to make sure your Austin ISD student has access to a laptop and high-speed internet
Parents, teachers and advocates worry online-only lesson plans could widen the digital divide and exacerbate educational equity issues in the Austin Independent School District. To try to prevent that, the district, which has roughly 81,000 students, is distributing Wi-Fi hotspots,…
AISD • By Andrew Weber, KUT • Aug 24, 2020
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Applications for rent assistance are opening (again) in Austin: Here's what you need to know
The city of Austin will begin accepting applications for a second round of rent help for tenants affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Applications open here at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 19. “The coronavirus endures, the economy struggles (and) renters…
Housing • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Aug 18, 2020
Austin ISD's school year delayed until Sept. 8, first eight weeks could be online-only
The Austin Independent School District’s Board of Trustees voted to delay the start of classes for the school year until Sept. 8. Virtual classes were supposed to begin Aug. 18, but the board wanted to give teachers more time to…
AISD • By Claire McInerny, KUT • Aug 7, 2020
Austin joins national pilot program exploring how to safely reopen music venues
Austin has signed up as a pilot city for a national effort to establish guidelines for music venues looking to reopen safely once the public health threats from the Covid-19 pandemic are lessened. Today the city will announce its partnership…
Music & Entertainment • By Chad Swiatecki • Aug 7, 2020
UT incubator takes the lead in health care consortium targeting Covid-19 and future pandemics
The University of Texas’ Austin Technology Incubator is leading a new consortium of more than 50 health care organizations from around the state working to combat the Covid-19 pandemic and prepare for future widespread disease outbreaks. The Texas Global Health…
Public Health • By Chad Swiatecki • Aug 7, 2020
Council needs federal and state help to stabilize child care industry
Furthering its efforts to shore up the local child care industry, City Council passed three resolutions last week changing the criteria for the city’s Childcare Support Fund. In addition, Council directed City Manager Spencer Cronk to develop recommendations and take action…
Education • By Nina Hernandez • Aug 6, 2020
Travis County expands public health orders to unincorporated areas, fines up to $500
The Commissioners Court unanimously approved an order Tuesday making Austin Public Health’s Health Authority Rules enforceable in unincorporated areas of Travis County. Individuals who do not abide by the local health authority’s pandemic mitigation plan may face fines of up…
