AUSTIN, Texas — With COVID-19 cases increasing in Austin-Travis County and concerns about the omicron variant mounting, Austin Public Health (APH) leaders say what happens next is up to residents.
"It depends on what you do right now, whatever you do right now. If you're going to wear your mask and go out and go shopping and make sure you're being cautious, hopefully, we'll never get to Stage 4," said Dr. Janet Pichette, APH's chief epidemiologist. "But, you know, the potential is very great based on what the community transmission rate is, based on what we know about omicron transmissibility in our community. It's great. Cases are rapidly increasing. So, the things that we do now will set the path for our future."
With that in mind, as the busy holiday travel season kicks into gear, some are curious if the City of Austin has any plans to implement additional travel restrictions.
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During a press conference on Wednesday, Dec. 21, APH leaders were asked: "In the last press conference, it was mentioned that most of the cases of COVID are coming from people that are visiting and traveling from other cities. Would there be any regulations that can prevent or control more cases in the city?"
APH said no, but testing is recommended for travelers.
"No, I think, you know, I don't think of any regulations from that perspective. You know, I think there are federal regulations about entry into the United States and, you know, other countries – if there's international travel, definite regulations related to that," Pichette said. "You know, we recommend to individuals who are traveling either to or from Austin that they get tested prior to coming or when they return and make sure that they haven't picked up illness along the way."
APH leaders confirmed Wednesday that there is community transmission in Austin-Travis County at this time, but they are hopeful residents will continue to protect themselves and others from the virus. At this time, APH said there is no conversation about a potential lockdown.
"There's no discussion about having a lockdown at this point in time. We are asking our community to stand up and fight with us. We're asking you to wear a mask. We're asking you to get vaccinated. We're asking you to get tested," said Dr. Desmar Walkes, Austin-Travis County's health authority.
Also on Wednesday, KVUE reported that at least two Austin restaurants have had to temporarily close this week due to positive COVID-19 cases among staff and at least two others have preemptively closed their doors to try to stop the spread of the virus.
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