Tuesday, January 5, 2021
Trauma Service Area O, which includes Hays and Travis counties, broke a 15% COVID-19 hospitalization-to-capacity rate for the third consecutive day Tuesday, according to Hays County Emergency Management Coordinator Alex Villalobos.
Villalobos reported the news in Tuesday’s Commissioners Court meeting to alert the commissioners that should the 15% rate continue for seven consecutive days, certain restrictions on places of business, occupations and hospitals will be triggered due to Gov. Greg Abbott’s Executive Order No. 32.
Counties with high hospitalizations are excluded from the reopenings that occurred on Oct. 14, per GA-32. Areas with high hospitalizations means any Trauma Service Area that has had seven consecutive days in which the number of COVID‑19 hospitalized patients as a percentage of total hospital capacity exceeds 15 percent.
Hays County Historic Court House. Star file photo
The Hays County Commissioners Court agreed to extend the county s burn ban until further notice at its Dec. 22 meeting after a recommendation by Hays County Fire Marshall Nathan Mendenhall.Â
The burn ban will not impact the sale of fireworks, however due to low humidity, Mendenhall says elevated fire weather conditions are possible throughout the county this week. Additionally, he says because of underlying drought conditions in the area fireworks may have the potential to cause spot fires. This means that all fireworks that are normally allowed to be sold will be sold, Mendenhall said in a press release. This does not mean that there is no danger.