How close is Austin to Stage 1 coronavirus guidelines? What will change?
With a weekly average of 11 new COVID-19 hospitalizations as of June 7 and 55.5% of the Travis County population aged 12 and older fully vaccinated, Austin is the closest its been to the recommended threshold for entering Stage 1, considered the safest stage of the citys COVID-19 risk-based guidelines. The guidelines don't carry legal weight but they do reflect a level of threat to those at risk of experiencing the most severe symptoms of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, ranging from the lowest threat at Stage 1 to the highest threat at Stage 5. The city is currently in Stage 2, which it entered last month for the first time. The region began the pandemic in Stage 3 and reached Stage 5 at the end of last year. There are two recommended thresholds for entering Stage 1: dropping to a weekly average of less than five new hospitalizations, which Austin-Travis County is currently five new weekly hospital admissions away from achieving, or reaching herd immunity with at least 70% of the population vaccinated. Currently, 66% of the Travis County population over the age of 12 has at least one dose of the vaccine, and 55% is fully vaccinated, according to state data. MORE: From March to March, a timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic in Central Texas  Reaching one or both of those thresholds doesnt automatically downgrade the city to Stage 1  the official call will be made by Austin and Travis County leaders. According to a spokesperson for Austin Public Health, that call will likely be made a few days after those thresholds are reached. If we cross the Stage 1 threshold, we will likely monitor the data for a few days before announcing a stage change to ensure we don't experience a jump back into Stage 2, Austin Public Health spokesperson Anna Lassmann said in an email. Not much, as of now. The current recommendations for Stage 2 and Stage 1 are identical. They include:  Fully-vaccinated individuals can participate in indoor and outdoor private gatherings, as well as dine and shop, without precautions if a business allows. precautions if a business allows. Partially vaccinated or unvaccinated individuals can participate in indoor and outdoor private gatherings, as well as dine and shop, with precautions. Those include wearing a mask and socially distancing. precautions. Those include wearing a mask and socially distancing. Everyone, regardless of vaccination status, can travel with precautions. Austin Public Health will look to guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention when it comes to lightening any existing recommendations in the future, Lassmann said. The city entered Stage 2 on May 18, relaxing guidelines particularly for vaccinated individuals in accordance with updated guidelines from the CDC. Last Friday, the city hosted its final COVID-19 media session. "I am fairly optimistic that if we reach the point and we're getting closer to herd immunity, either through natural infection or through vaccination, that we will be in a good space this summer," Janet Pichette, Austin Public Health chief epidemiologist, said during the media briefing.