Austin officials ban gatherings of 250 or more

AUSTIN, Texas - The City of Austin has prohibited the gathering of 250 people of more within Austin-Travis County in an attempt to slow the transmission of CO-VID 19. 

The ban will go into effect at 2 a.m. on Sunday, March 15 and continue until at least May 1.

Businesses with questions about the new Orders are asked to call Austin 3-1-1, according to a post on the City of Austin Government Facebook.

DOWNLOAD THE FOX 7 AUSTIN NEWS APP FOR YOUR MOBILE DEVICE

The prohibition does not generally include:

• Office spaces or residential buildings
• Transit including airports, bus stations, or terminals
• Grocery stores
• Shopping malls
• Hospitals or medical offices and facilities

RELATED: CoronavirusNOW.com, FOX launches national hub for COVID-19 news and updates

The decision to introduce these new restrictions on gatherings of 250 or more people was taken as part of a broader strategy to reduce individuals’ possibility of exposure to COVID-19 in Austin-Travis County, the city explained in a press release.

It follows Austin Public Health’s request on March 13 for event organizers to strongly consider cancelling or postponing events of that size.

CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST INFO ON THE CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK