COVID-19 Updates: September 21, 2020

Governor Abbot issued Executive Order (GA 30) on September 17, 2020, with an effective date of September 21, 2020. Outlined below are the updates as they relate to the experience sector and live event industry. Read the full Order for other industry impacts.

Business Operational Capacity Impacts
The general rule is that all businesses may operate at 50% of the total listed occupancy of the establishment.  Under GA-30, the following businesses may operate at 75% of total listed occupancy:
 
a. in-store, non-CISA retail establishments
b. dine-in restaurants. Only restaurants that have less than 51 percent of their gross receipts from the sale of alcoholic beverages, and whose customers eat or drink only while seated, may offer dine-in services.
c. non-CISA office buildings
d. non-CISA manufacturers
e. museums and libraries
f. gyms and exercise facilities and classes
 
Outdoor Gatherings
An outdoor gathering in excess of 10 people, other than the exceptions listed below, is prohibited unless the mayor of the city in which the gathering is held, or the county judge in the case of a gathering in an unincorporated area, approves of the gathering, and such approval can be made subject to certain conditions or restrictions not inconsistent with the Governor’s executive order.
 
The Special Events Office, which includes Austin Public Health, will continue to process special event applications and their accompanying risk mitigation plans in accordance with state and local Orders.
 
Outdoor Occupancy Exceptions:
Outdoor events of more than 10 people are prohibited with some exceptions. All exceptions require COVID-19 health and safety protocols including face coverings, social distancing and more as outlined in the latest Orders issued by the Mayor and Governor and must comply with Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) health protocols.

The 50% outdoor occupancy limit applies to the following outdoor areas, events, or establishments, including:

a. professional, collegiate, or similar sporting events
b. swimming pools
c. water parks
d. museums and libraries
e. zoos, aquariums, natural caverns, and similar facilities
f. rodeos and equestrian events
g. amusements parks
 
There is no occupancy limit to drive-in concerts, movies, or similar events, under guidelines that facilitate appropriate social distancing, that generally require spectators to remain in their vehicles, and that minimize in-person contact between people who are not in the same household or vehicle.
 
Fine Arts Performance Halls:
Fine arts performance halls may operate indoors up to 50% of the total listed occupancy; there is no occupancy limit on fine arts performance halls operating outdoors, however, 6 feet distancing between groups is needed and groups cannot exceed 10 persons.  The performance hall’s employees and contractors are not counted towards the 50% occupancy limitation.   
                                                               
Outdoor Dining 
Restaurants are limited to 75% total listed occupancy indoors but are not subject to an occupancy limit for outdoor dining (dine-in services only allowed if customers are seated while eating and drinking).

Outdoor Motorsports Events 
Permitted up to 50% of normal operating limits as determined by the venue owner. Must follow health protocols including face coverings, social distancing, etc.  

Outdoor Sports 
Permitted if there is no contact between participants and no more than 10 participants play the sport at any time. Must comply with DSHS health protocol requirements. 

Religious Services 
Permitted, including those conducted in a church, congregation, or houses of workshop.

Recreational Youth Sports 
Permitted. Spectators should maintain at least 6 feet of social distance from individuals not in the spectator's group. Must comply with DSHS health protocol requirements.
  
Wedding and Wedding Receptions
A wedding reception held at a restaurant should follow the restaurant protocol.  Wedding reception services held at other indoor locations are limited to 50% of the facility’s total listed occupancy. A wedding that is held in a house of worship does not have an occupancy limit. A wedding that is held at an inside venue other than a house of worship is limited to 50% of the total listed occupancy of the facility. There are no outdoor occupancy limits for weddings or wedding receptions. Weddings and wedding receptions must follow health protocols (required face coverings, social distancing, etc.).

Youth Camps 
Permitted. Face coverings, social distancing, and DSHS health protocol requirements must be followed. 

Staff members are not included in determining operating levels, except for manufacturing services and office workers.

Risk Based Guidelines
The City of Austin wants to provide consistent guidance on what is safe and healthy for individuals, businesses, and organizations. Austin Public Health (APH) does not want to only focus on a single number; hospitalizations. APH does monitor new hospital admissions as the primary key indicator for staging, but also looks to additional indicators, including positivity rate, doubling time of new cases, and current ICU and ventilator patients. Multiple indicators are necessary to guide critical reopening decisions.
 
These factors also help determine how APH applies the Austin Public Health Risk-Based Guidelines, which are recommendations for local personal behavior. Austin-Travis County is currently in Stage 3. In Stage 3, everyone should avoid social gatherings of any size and encourage high-risk individuals to avoid travel, dining, and shopping that is non-essential.

Resources

Review the current Stay Home Orders and Health Authority Emergency Rules which outline event prohibitions.

• All updates related to events are published at Special Events: COVID-19 Updates as new Orders are released.
• COVID-19 Recovery Funding Information
• General Austin-Travis County COVID-19 Updates and Dashboards
• Take the 2020 Census. 

COVID-19 Updates - August 7, 2020

Reopening Guidance for Austin Music Venues Released to Support COVID-19 Recovery Planning

AUSTIN, TX - In partnership with the City of Austin, the Austin cohort of the Reopening Every Venue Safely (REVS) campaign has released best practices to help music venues reopen safely.  

This music venue best practices guide was developed by local industry representatives with input from local leaders about steps the Austin music venue community should consider taking during the COVID-19 pandemic. This guide is not advocating reopening venues at this time. Instead, this living document is the first step in a longer process and is intended to give venue owners and operators time to digest the information, make informed decisions, and enter into a dialogue with artists, staff, guests and the City before safe reopening occurs. 

The Reopening Every Venue Safely Austin Best Practices Guide outlines practical actions venue owners and operators can undertake when they decide it is time to reopen safely. The guide includes best practices for what artists, venue operators, and production staff should consider prior to, during, and after a show for tasks such as how to manage gear, a notification system in the event of positive cases, and ways to manage crowds safely.  

“We partnered with local music industry colleagues and got input from the City to create best practices for when music venues can reopen. We expect this document to evolve as the situation changes with COVID-19,” says Don Pitts with Music Cities Together. 

Austin-Travis County remains in Stage 4 of the COVID-19 risk stages.  ICU hospitalizations and ventilator access remain a concern, and there is continued risk for further shutdowns if personal safety precautions are not taken. At the moment, Austin Public Health (APH) officials are warning the public that large gatherings at live events and even smaller family gatherings pose a high risk of spreading the virus. Austin-Travis County residents are strongly urged to continue to stay home when possible, wear face coverings, and practice social distancing.  

While the City and County continues to manage the immediate health crisis, the community must simultaneously plan for what reopening safely will look like when it is time to do so.  

“We are working closely with our colleagues and partners in the industry to ensure understanding of the state and local Orders, and right now it is best to stay home and take safety precautions. We are also considering what reopening will look like and planning for the future of live events in the Live Music Capital,” says Sara Henry with Austin Center for Events.

The City, County and local industry leaders working together is key to understanding the future of live music and the special events industry in Austin, Texas.

“The situation for Austin music venues is daunting. We’ve seen a study that shows as many as 90% of local music venues could close permanently by October,” says Bobby Garza with Music Cities Together. “We know we can’t reopen right now, but we need to be prepared for the new normal when reopening happens. The REVS guide is intended to help our industry plan for what that looks like.”  

The City of Austin is also developing Event Reopening Guidelines for the broader event and venue industry in partnership with APH, Austin Convention Center, Austin Center for Events and others. These guidelines will include both best practice recommendations and new COVID-19 health and safety plan requirements for event and venue operators of all types. Industry professionals can expect to see these new guidelines and requirements within the next month.  

Further resources for the creative sector economy include a series of available grants. COVID-19 relief funding opportunities, including the new Austin Music Disaster Relief Fund Reopening, can be found at www.atxrecovers.com.  A total of $6 million has been dedicated to COVID-19 creative sector recovery including $3.5 million from the CARES Act, $1.5 million from general fund emergency reserve, and $1 million from Creative Space Assistance Program. 

About Austin Center for Events (ACE) 
ACE is a collaborative assembly of agencies designed to streamline special event permitting on public and private property. ACE is anchored by teams from Transportation, Parks, Music, Police, Fire, EMS, Code, Waste Management, Development Services and partner agencies, and works closely with event organizers to guide them through the permitting process. More details: www.austintexas.gov/ace  

About Music & Entertainment Division, Economic Development  
The City of Austin Economic Development Department’s Music & Entertainment Division is highly engaged in developing initiatives that help accelerate the growth of the music industry infrastructure by focusing on job creation, talent export, trade development, and industry revenue growth. More details: www.atxmusic.org. 

About Music Cities Together 
Music Cities Together (MCT) is a joint initiative between Music Policy Forum and Sound Music Cities focusing on how collaboration between public, private, philanthropic, non-profit and educational sectors can lead to stronger and healthier local music communities. 

About Reopening Every Venue Safely (REVS) 
REVS is MCT's national campaign to develop and disseminate best practices and action plans for the safe and judicious reopening of music venues in the wake of COVID-19. Nationally, there are 11 partner cities currently participating in REVS: Albuquerque, NM; Austin, TX; Charlotte, NC; Chicago, IL; Cleveland, OH; Denver, CO; King County/Seattle, WA; Los Angeles, CA; Louisville, KY; New Orleans, LA; and Portland, OR. More details: www.musiccitiestogether.org/revs