Matt Largey | KUT

Austin Public Health officials say people who participated in recent large gatherings — like protests against police violence — should sign up to get tested for COVID-19, even if they don’t have symptoms.

The city is expanding eligibility for people without symptoms to get tested for free at drive-thru sites.

What can data tell us about where the pandemic is headed next?

Join us for the next episode of our weekly livestreamed interview series, Now What?, at noon on June 3 when we’ll talk with Lauren Ancel Meyers, a mathematical epidemiologist at UT Austin.

Read this story in English.

Existe una pelea en las cortes estatales y federales sobre quién es elegible para votar por correo en Texas. Los demócratas y los defensores del derecho al voto dicen que la pandemia - y el peligro de contraer el coronavirus al votar en persona - significa que todo votante de Texas puede hacerlo.

The Texas Supreme Court has ruled that "lack of immunity" to the coronavirus is not a disability under state law that would qualify someone for a mail-in ballot. In the same ruling, the court acknowledged that county election clerks have no duty to question or investigate the disability of voters who claim it.

That could leave a voter who requests a ballot on the basis of the pandemic being a disability open to charges of voting fraud, however. 

A separate lawsuit is playing out in federal court over whether vote-by-mail should be expanded to all voters. 

Texas is changing the way it publishes its accounting of coronavirus tests after the practice of conflating two types of tests was disclosed last week.

June 15 is the last day to register to vote before the July 14 primary runoff elections in Texas. Here’s what you need to know to register.

What do you want to know about the search for a COVID-19 vaccine?

Join KUT’s Jennifer Stayton for a discussion with Jason McLellan, an associate professor of molecular bioscience at UT Austin, about how vaccines are developed and learn more about the search for one for the new coronavirus.

Read this story in English.

Hace tiempo que nadie entra en un bar en Texas, así que las cosas se sentirán raras cuando se les permita reabrir este viernes. El gobernador Greg Abbott anunció este lunes que se les permitirá abrir siempre y cuando sigan una serie de pautas mínimas de seguridad para prevenir una mayor propagación del coronavirus.

Así que si vas a ir, y no te estamos animando a ello, deberías ser consciente de cómo funcionarán las cosas.

It’s been a while since anyone’s been into a bar in Texas, so things are bound to feel weird when they’re allowed to reopen this Friday. Gov. Greg Abbott announced Monday they'd be allowed to open as long as they follow a set of minimum safety guidelines aimed at preventing further spread of the coronavirus.

So, if you’re going to go – and we're not encouraging you to – you should be aware of how things will work.

Texas has seen a noticeable increase in the number of coronavirus tests being reported by the Department of State Health Services over the past week. The state saw its largest one-day total for reported tests to date Wednesday – at more than 49,000 tests, about four times as many tests reported the day before.

Severe weather is expected overnight in Central Texas. Storms moving in from the west could bring up to 3 inches of rain to the Austin area over a short period of time, which could cause flash flooding in some spots. The National Weather Service says pockets of up to 5 inches of rain are possible.

A severe thunderstorm watch has been posted for most of the Austin area until 4 a.m. The NWS warned of dangerous lightning, heavy rain and strong winds. 

Join KUT on Monday at 11 a.m. for a live conversation with Austin Mayor Steve Adler.

Click here to read this story in English. 

Las albercas están entre las instalaciones permitidas para reabrir el viernes bajo la orden del gobernador de Texas, Greg Abbott, de flexibilizar las restricciones impuestas para detener la propagación del coronavirus.

Por su parte, la ciudad de Austin sigue considerando cuándo reabrirá las albercas de la ciudad.

Pools are among the facilities allowed to reopen Friday under Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s order loosening restrictions imposed to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

For its part, the City of Austin is still considering when it will reopen city pools.

A man killed a San Marcos police officer and injured two others after police responded to a domestic disturbance call at the Twin Lake Villas Apartments earlier this evening. 

Police say the man "ambushed" the officers with a rifle. 

Click here to read this story in English

Lo primero que debe saber sobre el rastreo de contactos es que se ha probado a través del tiempo. Y que se ha usado por mucho tiempo. Es una de las armas originales del arsenal de salud pública para combatir las enfermedades infecciosas. Se usaba antes de las vacunas. Antes que los antibióticos. Antes de que supiéramos la mayoría de las cosas que sabemos ahora sobre las enfermedades infecciosas.

When Austin Mayor Steve Adler issued a stay-at-home order last week, he laid out the “essential” businesses and activities that could still be done — as long as people maintained proper physical distance from each other. But there was confusion about whether construction projects could continue.

Click here to read this story in English. 

Cuando la ciudad de Austin emitió la orden de quedarse en casa la semana pasada, no estaba claro cuáles eran las implicaciones para el sector de la construcción. Algunas personas estaban confundidas, y muchos trabajadores continuaron iendo a sus trabajos. Pero, ¿pueden los constructores seguir construyendo? 

No - con algunas excepciones. 

When Austin issued its stay-at-home order last week, it was kind of vague about construction. Some people were confused, and plenty of builders stayed on the job. So, can builders keep building?

No – with some exceptions.

The City of Austin has issued an order that requires everyone (with some exceptions) to stay at home and requires many businesses to close in an effort to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

The order goes into effect at 11:59 p.m. Tuesday.

There's no other way to put it: Things have changed.

We’re collecting stories of how your life has changed since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Tell us about your new normal.

With much of Austin's service and entertainment sectors shut down and the ripple effects of the coronavirus pandemic being felt across the local, state and national economy, people are being laid off.

Numbers from the Texas Workforce Commission show new unemployment claims between March 15 and March 18 were 11 times higher than the same period a year ago — 5,623 in 2019 vs. 61,541 in 2020.

Austin public health officials say they've received about 1,000 COVID-19 test kits, acknowledging that there is still a huge gulf between the number of tests available and the number of people who want to be tested. 

****This event has been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic****

Join KUT, the Texas Observer and the Austin Monitor for a live discussion about housing in Austin — why it’s so expensive and ways we can make it more affordable.

Do you have questions about the coronavirus?

KUT is planning a live, one-hour program aimed at answering your questions about the virus, its potential effects on Austin and Central Texas and what we can all do to help stop the spread of the disease.