Today Stage 3 of the local health department’s COVID-19 Risk-Based Guidelines. Under Stage 3, APH recommends residents continue wearing masks and practicing social distancing. High-risk individuals should avoid nonessential dining, shopping, and traveling, while everyone – regardless of risk level – should avoid social gatherings greater than 10 people. Additionally, businesses and restaurants are encouraged to operate at 50-75% capacity, which is an increase from the 25-50% capacity recommendation under Stage 4. This is the first time Austin has entered Stage 3 risk guidelines since last November. Following a second surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations over the winter holidays, Austin’s seven-day moving average for COVID-19 hospitalization dropped back down to the qualifying threshold for Stage 3 earlier this month and has remained within Stage 3 territory since then. The transition comes as the numbers for other key indicators that determine the current risk staging – the positivity rate, doubling time of new cases, and local hospital and ICU capacity – are “moving in the right direction,” said APH in a March 13 press release.