Austin Extends 'Stay Home' Orders Amid Coronavirus Spikes

AUSTIN, TX — Officials extended "stay home" orders in Austin until early 2021 in an effort to thwart the spread of the coronavirus amid prevailing spikes in the respiratory illness.

Announced on Wednesday, the "Stay Home, Mask and Otherwise Be Safe Order" was enacted on Tuesday for implementation through Feb. 16, officials said in an advisory. Additionally, the Austin-Travis County Health Authority extended the Health Authority Rules through Apr. 15, with additional updates.

Read the Austin Order

Read the Travis County Order

Read the Health Authority Rules

Austin’s order extends existing requirements for face coverings, social distancing and limiting the size of gatherings. It also adds quarantine requirements that are consistent with the updated Austin Public Health quarantine guidelines, officials noted.

Travis County’s order also extends existing requirements for face coverings, social distancing, and limiting gatherings. The order includes the same quarantine requirements, officials said.

The order first was first implemented on March 6 in the early days of the pandemic, and was renewed by Aug. 14 when health officials reported the region had gained 23,718 confirmed illness cases and 328 deaths. As of Thursday, there have been a cumulative 43,836 confirmed cases of the illness and 511 deaths.

The Health Authority rules extended existing requirements as well. Additionally, the rules now include requirements for quarantine (Rule 2.5), requirements for dine-in or indoor food or beverage services (Rule 5.6), and define “high-risk individuals” and “high-risk settings.” The new definitions align the Health Authority Rules with Austin Public Health’s recent change to quarantine guidelines.

Both the Austin and Travis County orders and the Health Authority rules can be found on the Austin-Travis County COVID-19 Orders and Rules page.

For more information and updates about COVID-19, visit the city's COVID-19 Information portal.