BG Reads | News You Need to Know (May 11, 2020)
[BINGHAM GROUP]
BG PODCAST Episode 85: School District Land Use Talk with Tanya Birks, Director of Real Estate, Austin ISD (LINK TO SHOW)
She and Bingham Group CEO A.J. discuss the future potential of several district properties, and how the public can engage.
[AUSTIN METRO]
As economy begins to reopen, Austin leaders plan for second lockdown, surge in cases (Community Impact)
Today, Austin barbershops, hair salons and gyms began welcoming clients for the first time since March 25.
This comes exactly one week after restaurants, movie theaters and malls reopened their doors as part of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s phased approach at awakening the state’s economy from a prolonged shutdown meant to mitigate the spread of the highly contagious coronavirus.
During that shutdown, which included a stay-home order that prohibited nonessential activity, Austin and Travis County residents reduced their person-to-person interactions by 95%, which officials said is an astounding achievement that helped to dampen what they expected to be a rapid rise in local confirmed coronavirus cases.
Austin Mayor Steve Adler said he believes that the decision to have the state and cities “dip our toe” into reopening will, "by definition," result in a second surge in infections, as person-to-person interactions will increase.
“The virus is just as infectious today as it was a month ago,” Adler said during a May 8 press conference, in which he extended his stay-home order through the end of May. Adler said Abbott’s decision to reopen happened earlier "than [he] would have liked” and that the message from local officials was to continue staying home as much as possible… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
As Austin extends stay-at-home order, business leaders recommend steps for reopening economy (Austin Business Journal)
A Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce task force has released its recommendations for reopening the local economy during the Covid-19 pandemic, on the same day more economic restrictions lifted statewide and local officials extend stay-home orders.
Among the recommendations are finding ways to increase access to child care, implementing clear contact tracing procedures, increasing testing capacity and effectiveness, reducing the digital divide and creating local funds to fill in the gaps around federal programs such as the Paycheck Protection Program.
The chamber's input adds to the voices weighing in on the best path forward for businesses. While Austin seems to be faring a bit better, unemployment nationwide hit 14.7% in April, the highest level since World War II… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Three Austin parks seeing 'extremely high use' will require day passes starting May 14 (Community Impact)
Beginning May 14, the city of Austin will limit visitors at three parks during peak times by requiring visitors to receive a day pass ahead of time.
Visitors to Emma Long Metropolitan Park and Commons Ford Ranch Metropolitan Park on the western side of the city and Walter E. Long Metropolitan Park in East Austin will have to register online or by phone ahead of their trip.
Registration will only be required Thursdays through Sundays. There are no additional fees—vehicle access to Commons Ford is free, and regular fees apply for Emma Long and Walter E. Long. A limited number of passes are available per day, which will allow the city to control the number of visitors.
According to a city spokesperson, the three parks were chosen because they saw "extremely high use" recently, and social distancing was a challenge in certain areas with concentrated activity, such as along the water… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
[TEXAS]
Texas leaders say you should wear a mask, but you don’t have to, muddling public health message (Dallas Morning News)
As Gov. Greg Abbott reopens the economy, he has urged Texans to wear masks in public to help curb the spread of the coronavirus. But during his televised news conferences, neither the governor nor his advisors don masks. State troopers mingle in the Capitol without covering their faces. And Abbott has stopped short of requiring residents to wear masks, and prohibited local officials from penalizing people who go without them. Those mixed messages, along with shifting guidance by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, have fueled confusion over when to wear masks, leaving most Texas businesses and the people who visit them to make their own decisions.
Texans can now head to salons, retail stores and restaurants for the first time in more than a month amid a pandemic that has killed at least 77,000 nationwide. Lacking a vaccine or cure, disease experts say it makes sense to encourage widespread use of masks to help reduce the spread of COVID-19. Research shows people without symptoms can spread the disease. The CDC now recommends it and at least 14 governors - a dozen Democrats and two Republicans - have issued orders mandating residents wear facial coverings in public. Appearing at a news conference with a mask sets an example, said Brandon Rottinghaus, a political science professor at the University of Houston. “If you want to convey a strong message, you have to have the visuals accompanying your activities, and that’s something they haven’t done. “If leaders show they are willing to sacrifice, the people might be willing to as well.”… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Some employees balk as San Antonio ISD moves to reopen buildings this month (San Antonio Express-News)
The San Antonio Independent School District will reopen schools and offices and end hazard pay for all employees May 20, a day after local stay-at-home orders are set to expire. The district will require teachers and other employees to report to campuses at staggered intervals in small groups to clear out classrooms, scheduling them to bag and label students’ belongings, following safety protocols to prevent infection from the coronavirus. Families will be able to register for next school year in person, by appointment only.
Some central office employees, including assistant superintendents, department heads and clerical staff, will be required to physically be at their desks starting May 20 to work on year-end procedures and next year’s budget, said Leslie Price, district spokeswoman. The timeline, which Superintendent Pedro Martinez emailed Thursday to employees, was met with consternation among leaders of the San Antonio Alliance of Teachers and Support Personnel, the union representing nonadministrative employees. “The risk to their health does not dissipate” May 20, said Alejandra Lopez, a teacher at Hillcrest Elementary and the union’s president-elect. “There’s a very likely case the risk is going to be greater as we see record cases and numbers of asymptomatic carriers.”… (LINK TO STORY)
Texas has billions in its rainy day fund. But legislators say they won’t use it until January. (Texas Tribune)
As Texas’ economy reels from a monthlong shutdown of commerce statewide, unprecedented unemployment and falling oil prices, some Texans are calling on officials to tap into the state’s Economic Stabilization Fund that has billions of tax dollars officials have been saving for years.
For weeks, Texans’ attempts to access unemployment benefits, food giveaways and housing aid have swamped government agencies and nonprofits. Kelly Hayden, who works at a San Antonio call center for a defense health agency, said state lawmakers should tap the savings fund to provide economic relief for people struggling to stay afloat financially during the pandemic.
“Either with food banks or to help with people’s bills or just need to make their money last another month or two,” Hayden said… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
[NATION]
For most states, at least a third of COVID-19 deaths are in long-term care facilities (NPR)
Coronavirus fatalities in long-term care facilities have surpassed a grim threshold in much of the country, accounting for at least a third of the deaths in 26 states and more than half in 14 of those. The data, which was published by the Kaiser Family Foundation, reports tallies from a variety of care facilities, including nursing homes, adult care residences, and other skilled nursing care settings. However, it does not break out those categories separately.
The report comes as states prepared to meet a federal reporting deadline Friday. The striking figures offer only a partial glimpse of the devastating impact of the virus on patients, residents and staff members ahead of the new mandate that requires officials to disclose coronavirus cases and deaths in nursing homes and long-term living residences to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Priya Chidambaram, a policy analyst with the foundation, was part of the research team compiling information from state dashboards, official statements and other sources. She called the latest statistics "shocking." "It does really make you think about what the true national numbers will be when we eventually do get data from all 50 states," Chidambaram said. She expects that skilled nursing facilities will continue to be hot spots for the spread of the virus now that 18 states that have so far declined to publicly report data, hand information over to the CDC… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
The Bingham Group, LLC is an Austin-based full service lobbying firm representing and advising clients on municipal, legislative, and regulatory matters throughout Texas.
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