The recent increase in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations throughout Austin and Travis County puts a more probable chance that Stage 4 guidelines will have to return.
An article from Biz Journal stated that the seven-day average for new daily admissions into the hospital were 30 as of July 19, and for Stage 4 to be declared, the threshold is 30-39 cases in a seven-day average.
Under Stage 4 of Austin and Travis County's risk-based guidelines, fully vaccinated people are recommended to wear masks in groups while the unvaccinated or partially vaccinated are recommended not to gather in groups and to only travel or dine out/shop if essential.
For businesses, it will remain up to the individual company if they wish to enforce a mask mandate for customers, or going back to pickup orders or delivery when it comes to restaurants. Some businesses have already started mandating a mask in their place of business, KXAN News reported that Waterloo Records at North Lamar Boulevard and West Sixth Street is one of those asking for people to wear masks due to breakthrough cases and the delta variant.
Austin is currently in Stage 3 of the risk-based chart, which means unvaccinated people are encouraged to wear masks for all activities, vaccinated people only need them for travel, Kxan reported.
A report by the University of Texas at Austin claims that more than 12,000 COVID-19 hospitalizations could be experienced in the Austin Metro area by Oct. 1, but that number could turn out significantly lower with guideline restrictions, KXAN reported.
Williamson County is also concerned with the uptick in COVID-19 cases and hospitalization, making an announcement July 9 that the community transmission risk had been raised to the highest level as a warning, though business do not have to change regulations.