Austin Public Health is lowering its COVID-19 risk-based guidelines from stage 4 to stage 3. The changes comes after 12 consecutive days of average daily hospital admissions for COVID in the metro area remaining below 30. On Friday, the seven-day moving average of daily admissions was 23.71.
Under stage 3, businesses are asked to keep capacity between 50% and 75% voluntarily instead of 25% to 50%. A recommendation for healthy people under 65 to avoid nonessential travel has been lifted.
“We are seeing more people getting vaccinated as supply to our area continues to increase,” APH Director Stephanie Hayden-Howard said in a statement. "Our most vulnerable are becoming protected and we are hopeful that because of this our numbers will continue to decline, but it remains important to continue all prevention measures."
The change does not affect city enforcement of mask wearing and social distancing. A state district court judge ruled Friday that Austin can continue enforcing the rules until at least a hearing set for March 26.
Saturday marks one year since the first confirmed case of the coronavirus in Austin.
