COVID-19 Watch

Austin Parks closes all facilities to curb spread of COVID-19

Basketball courts are now closed. Tennis courts were closed last week.

Courtesy of Pease Park Conservancy

The Austin Parks and Recreation Department announced on March 28 it has closed all park amenities in an effort to combat COVID-19. This effectively closes everything but open green spaces inside the City of Austin.

PARD announced the following were closed indefinitely:

Basketball courts
Tennis courts
Skate parks
Pavilions

Playgrounds, exercise equipment, tennis courts, golf courses, recreation and cultural centers, city-owned museums, and pools have been closed since mid-March.

Park green space, trails, and golf course green space remain open with the six-feet social distancing recommendation in place. Restrooms and water fountains are also still open to the public. According to a PARD release, though restrooms are cleaned and sterilized multiple times a day, residents should exercise caution while using.

"This decision was made after deliberation and consultation with the Austin Public Health department and City leadership," notes a release. "While in ordinary times park amenities provide countless benefits, these amenities under current circumstances hinder the ability for individuals to practice physical social distancing."

The City of Austin and Travis County are currently under a stay home/work smart order set to expire on April 13, though Austin Mayor Steve Adler has hinted that it may be extended. Over the weekend, President Trump announced he would extend a federal guidance on social distancing through the end of April, contradicting his previous statements that the country would be back to normal by Easter Sunday, or April 12. Read more about what stay home/work smart means here.

As of March 30, Austin-Travis County had 200 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus, a number that has doubled over the past seven days. Of those cases, slightly more than half have been under the age of 40. On March 27, county officials confirmed that the first Austin-area resident died of the virus.

health

keep austin healthy

Austin is the 2nd 'healthiest' city in America, Forbes says

Photo by Max Bender on Unsplash

There are plenty of places for Austinites of varying abilities to be active.

The city's abundance of yoga studios, health-conscious restaurants, and run clubs is paying off: Austin was just named the second healthiest city in the nation in a new study by Forbes Advisor.

The report, "Cities With The Least Healthy (And Healthiest) Populations, Ranked" examined 2021 health data from the City Health Dashboard for 46 of the most populated cities in America. Eight metrics were analyzed for each city, such as the number of heart disease or opioid overdose deaths per 100,000 residents, the percentage of adults with diabetes or high blood pressure, among others.

The study focuses exclusively on physical health, and leans on broad risk factors more than the actual occurrence of specific diseases or conditions.

Austin ranked second to San Jose, California, which was dubbed the No. 1 healthiest city in America.

Forbes found that Austin has the lowest percentage of adult high blood pressure out of all 46 cities in the report, at just 22.5 percent. Only 7.4 percent of Austin residents have diabetes, which is the fourth-lowest rate nationwide. The city also boasts the fifth-lowest percentage of adults who smoke (11.3 percent).

Here's how the report ranked four other metrics for Austin:

Eighth-lowest number of heart disease deaths per 100,000 residents (175.5)
Eighth-lowest number of opioid overdose deaths per 100,000 residents (9.6)
10th-lowest percentage of adults who report having obesity (28.2 percent)
10th-lowest percentage of adults who report being physically inactive (18.5)

Austin has a reputation for being an accommodating city, whether it's through restaurants expanding their culinary offerings for vegans and vegetarians, or through local organizations adding exercise equipment to outdoor trails. And you can't forget about all the new gyms and country clubs opening around the city.

At the opposite end of the study, Detroit, Michigan landed as the most unhealthy city in the country.

Elsewhere in Texas
Though Austin is one of the healthiest cities in the U.S., and the healthiest in the state, several other Texas cities fell far behind. Houston appeared as the No. 12 most unhealthy American city on the list, and unhealthiest in Texas. The report attributes this to a high percentage of adults who report binge drinking (18.2 percent), smoking (17.2 percent), and more.

"Houston has the seventh-highest percentage of adults who report having obesity (37.7 percent) and the eighth-highest percentage of adults with diabetes (12 percent)," the report said.

San Antonio ranked as the 15th unhealthiest U.S. city, followed by Dallas (No. 18), El Paso (No. 22) and Fort Worth (No. 25). Arlington appeared as No. 30, technically making it the No. 18 healthiest city in the U.S.

The top 10 cities with the most healthy populations are:

No. 1 – San Jose, California
No. 2 – Austin, Texas
No. 3 – Seattle, Washington
No. 4 – San Diego, California
No. 5 – Denver, Colorado
No. 6 – San Francisco, California
No. 7 – Boston, Massachusetts
No. 8 – Raleigh, North Carolina
No. 9 – Colorado Springs, Colorado
No. 10 – Minneapolis

The full report can be found on forbes.com.

austin healthy reports rankings