Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

As SXSW begins, here's what to know about the COVID-19 situation in Austin

People wait to get a COVID-19 test at a pop-up clinic outside of Cherrywood Coffeehouse in December.
Gabriel C. Pérez
/
KUT
People wait to get a COVID-19 test at a pop-up clinic outside of Cherrywood Coffeehouse in December.

South by Southwest is buzzing again in Austin. Two years ago, it was canceled out of concerns over COVID-19. Central Texas was just getting hit with our first cases, and people were worried about what was to come.

Recently, Austin-Travis County dropped down to Stage 2 — the next-to-lowest stage — of Austin Public Health’s COVID-19 risk-based guidelines. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also now says universal masking is no longer needed in some counties — including Bastrop, Burnet, Caldwell, Hays, Travis and Williamson — because the COVID-19 community level is low.

So, as we head into year three of the pandemic, where do things stand? And what might be ahead?

Ashley Lopez, who covers politics and health care for KUT, is here to answer some of these questions. Listen to the audio below to hear her conversation with KUT's Jennifer Stayton.

KUT's Ashley Lopez discusses COVID-19

Jennifer Stayton is the local host for NPR's "Morning Edition" on KUT. Got a tip? Email her at jstayton@kut.org. Follow her on X @jenstayton.
Related Content