Travis County will close all parks starting on Thursday, July 2, at 8 p.m. and will reopen on Tuesday, July 7, at 8 a.m.
Biscoe also addressed local leaders in the Austin-Travis County area, calling for the closure of public spaces ahead of the holiday weekend.
“We simply cannot afford missteps at this stage which could exacerbate the risk of overwhelming our healthcare system,” Biscoe wrote to local leaders.
While some Travis County parks remain open in limited capacity outside of the holiday weekend period, the following parks remain closed until further notice:
The City of Austin also announced it would also be closing a number of parks, pools and other facilities from July 3 through July 5.
This includes all city parks, as well as recreational facilities (e.g. golf courses, tennis courts, boat ramps, recreation/cultural centers, museums, Austin Nature & Science Center, Zilker Botanical Garden, preserves, etc).
Austin Public Health recommended closing Barton Springs Pool and Deep Eddy Pool until further notice.
Sarah Eckhardt, a former Travis County judge and now the special assistant to Judge Biscoe, told KVUE the closures are necessary to prevent another spike.
“The Memorial Day weekend was the origins of our first big spike,” she said. “So we have that experience to look back to and to try and avoid in the Fourth of July weekend,” she said.
On June 30, the Lower Colorado River Authority announced it will close five of its parks in Travis County over the holiday weekend.
The following parks will be closed from 8 p.m. on Thursday, July 2, through 8 a.m. on Tuesday, July 7.
- Gloster Bend Recreation Area
- Jessica Hollis Park
- McGregor Preserve
- Muleshoe Bend Recreation Area
- Turkey Bend Recreation Area
The closures include boat ramps at the parks. Overnight reservations will be canceled for a full refund.
All other LCRA-managed parks are expected to remain open over the weekend. Visitors must wear face coverings and should practice social distancing in the parks. No groups larger than five people are allowed, except for families or people living in the same household.
Reporting by KVUE’s Jeff Bell