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For the first time in its 33-year history, South by Southwest has been canceled as the City of Austin declares a local emergency due to concerns about the coronavirus spreading.

In an announcement on Friday by Mayor Steve Adler, Judge Sarah Eckhardt, Dr. Mark Escott of the Interim Health Authority and Austin Public Health Director Stephanie Hayden, the City of Austin declared a local emergency, canceling the Spring Festival event as the COVID-19 virus causes worldwide concern.

This announcement follows several major organizations and companies deciding to not attend the festival, along with a Change.org petition signed by tens of thousands of people calling for the festival to be canceled.

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They are not canceling because they are being alturistic. They are canceling because a bunch of companies and artists backed out and it was going to be a fail.

Rapier108 said:

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Back to the Austin Presser.

Telling people over and over "STAY HOME WHEN YOU'RE SICK!"

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Hopefully employers remember that and don't fire the donut maker at Kroger because they call in sick

And from Seattle.

15 more residents moved from the nursing home to hospitals.

3 more deaths, no information provided yet, but given the hospital they were at, it is likely all people from the nursing home.

The University of Washington says the number of positive tests is between 5% and 7% out of the 400 tests they've conducted so far.


https://www.king5.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/life-care-center-kirkland-coronavirus-patients-moved-treatment/281-079da2ce-5a61-438c-a266-a5af399e2a75

https://komonews.com/news/coronavirus/3-more-deaths-reported-in-covid-19-outbreak-bringing-total-to-14-in-puget-sound-region

Tanya 93 said:

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Rapier108 said:

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Back to the Austin Presser.

Telling people over and over "STAY HOME WHEN YOU'RE SICK!"

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Hopefully employers remember that and don't fire the donut maker at Kroger because they call in sick

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Kroger makes bad donuts.

dmart90 said:

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Quote:

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For the first time in its 33-year history, South by Southwest has been canceled as the City of Austin declares a local emergency due to concerns about the coronavirus spreading.

In an announcement on Friday by Mayor Steve Adler, Judge Sarah Eckhardt, Dr. Mark Escott of the Interim Health Authority and Austin Public Health Director Stephanie Hayden, the City of Austin declared a local emergency, canceling the Spring Festival event as the COVID-19 virus causes worldwide concern.

This announcement follows several major organizations and companies deciding to not attend the festival, along with a Change.org petition signed by tens of thousands of people calling for the festival to be canceled.

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They are not canceling because they are being alturistic. They are canceling because a bunch of companies and artists backed out and it was going to be a fail.

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And they don't want people from all over the world bringing their funk to Austin.

Very vague and ambiguous answer on rodeo

PJYoung said:

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Some people are taking this a little hard:

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It's an enormous economic hit for Austin and for Texas

On the SXSW press conf - The lady signing is the most animated signer I've seen in a while. She seems to really be putting people's emotions into it!

BQ78 said:

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Yes, I'm not pooh poohing the economic effects this is causing. But the health concerns are mostly media over-hype fueling fearful over-reaction. That over-reaction can can be readily found by some of the posts in this thread. My comment that the media will move on, does not mean I don't think the profound economic effects this is causing will be over, even after subsequent shiny objects come and go for the media. But I believe the health effects will be over long before the economic effects of the over-reaction.

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No offense, but what you personally believe is irrelevant. What matters is the coronavirus data.

Given the fact that this is a new virus with no proven vaccine yet, and given the fact that the indications thus far are that this virus is pretty infectious and easily communicable and that it apparently can survive on surfaces for hours and perhaps even days, and given the fact that the numbers so far seem to indicate it has a fairly substantial mortality rate for adults age 60 and above, it would be imprudent and irresponsible to blindly assume the threat coronavirus poses to millions of Americans is overblown.

This is a new virus, so the pertinent data may possibly change in the weeks & months ahead. But what the data says so far is: don't take this virus lightly. If the data on the infection rate and mortality rate of coronavirus changes substantially for the better (i.e., if it decreases substantially) over the next few weeks and months, then everyone can be thankful, and you can boast how great your instincts are.

I'm unclear what you think the MSM should be doing differently. The MSM are talking to doctors, nurses, and public health officials. They're reporting what those professionals tell them. The medical and public health professionals are telling them: the public should not panic, but it should also definitely take this virus very seriously.

Do you you think the MSM should ignore and not report the warnings from medical and public health officials?

For sure

Anonymous Source said:

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PJYoung said:

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Some people are taking this a little hard:

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It's an enormous economic hit for Austin and for Texas

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Austin is like Silicon valley, it will be fine.

In the last two days SXSW has been canceled in Austin, the Rocket League championships scheduled for Dallas in April, and the Ultra Music Festival in Miami.

People in this country have lost their damn minds.

PJYoung said:

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Some people are taking this a little hard:

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I signed it...your welcome

aginlakeway said:

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Tanya 93 said:

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Rapier108 said:

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Back to the Austin Presser.

Telling people over and over "STAY HOME WHEN YOU'RE SICK!"

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Hopefully employers remember that and don't fire the donut maker at Kroger because they call in sick

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Kroger makes bad donuts.

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That doesn't change the bills of the 9 dollar an hour donut maker.

MetoliusAg said:

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Uhhm so are the students effectively quarantined in their dorms?

daggertx said:

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Anonymous Source said:

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PJYoung said:

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Some people are taking this a little hard:

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It's an enormous economic hit for Austin and for Texas

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Austin is like Silicon valley, it will be fine.

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You're right. Eventually, it will be and this will just be a hiccup. But every hotel room in the city would have been occupied and the bars and restaurants and shops would have been jammed for the better part of two weeks. This will hurt.

Tanya 93 said:

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aginlakeway said:

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Tanya 93 said:

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Rapier108 said:

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Back to the Austin Presser.

Telling people over and over "STAY HOME WHEN YOU'RE SICK!"

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Hopefully employers remember that and don't fire the donut maker at Kroger because they call in sick

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Kroger makes bad donuts.

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That doesn't change the bills of the 9 dollar an hour donut maker.

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If he is so valuable to make 9 dollars an hours, I am sure his shoes will be hard to fill and he will be fine.

Tanya 93 said:

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aginlakeway said:

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Tanya 93 said:

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Rapier108 said:

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Back to the Austin Presser.

Telling people over and over "STAY HOME WHEN YOU'RE SICK!"

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Hopefully employers remember that and don't fire the donut maker at Kroger because they call in sick

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Kroger makes bad donuts.

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That doesn't change the bills of the 9 dollar an hour donut maker.

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Fair enough. But Kroger's donuts are not good ...

Rapier108 said:

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Up to 8 more possible cases in Harris County, all involving people who traveled to Egypt in the same group as the confirmed cases.

https://www.click2houston.com/health/2020/03/05/man-woman-confirmed-to-be-first-cases-of-coronavirus-confirmed-in-harris-county/

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Welp. Looks like the cause for the end the world has gone from Nuclear Holocaust, to global warming, to Asian tour groups.

or maybe they see what's happening in Italy and want to delay that as long as possible (hoping to dodge the bullet)

maybe just maybe consider this as a generational or even 100 year storm event

johnnyblaze36 said:

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In the last two days SXSW has been canceled in Austin, the Rocket League championships scheduled for Dallas in April, and the Ultra Music Festival in Miami.

People in this country have lost their damn minds.

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SXSW are pretty much dead already given the number of people/organizations that have already pulled out.

who?mikejones said:

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Very vague and ambiguous answer on rodeo

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Exactly. The Austin Rodeo BBQ competition started today and I am going tomorrow.

Very vague.

Still going though.

Ol_Ag_02 said:

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Rapier108 said:

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Up to 8 more possible cases in Harris County, all involving people who traveled to Egypt in the same group as the confirmed cases.

https://www.click2houston.com/health/2020/03/05/man-woman-confirmed-to-be-first-cases-of-coronavirus-confirmed-in-harris-county/

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Welp. Looks like the cause for the end the world has gone from Nuclear Holocaust, to global warming, to Asian tour groups.

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Asian and Italian tour groups.

So, this is really a way to mitigate people not from austin from coming to austin?

That's what i got out of it. Local event with locally based people can go on but all you outsiders better not cross the line.

"A report commissioned by SXSW last year pegged the economic impact of the 2019 festival at about $356 million which would account for about a quarter of 1% of the region's estimated $150 billion annual economy."

Anonymous Source said:

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daggertx said:

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Anonymous Source said:

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PJYoung said:

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Some people are taking this a little hard:

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It's an enormous economic hit for Austin and for Texas

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Austin is like Silicon valley, it will be fine.

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You're right. Eventually, it will be and this will just be a hiccup. But every hotel room in the city would have been occupied and the bars and restaurants and shops would have been jammed for the better part of two weeks. This will hurt.

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Dont care, will they lower taxes or reduce spending on crap like homeless? No they wont.


It will barely register for Austin.

The corona virus risk may give way to std's there

aginlakeway said:

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"A report commissioned by SXSW last year pegged the economic impact of the 2019 festival at about $356 million which would account for about a quarter of 1% of the region's estimated $150 billion annual economy."

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So not much

The Fall Guy said:

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who?mikejones said:

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Very vague and ambiguous answer on rodeo

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Exactly. The Austin Rodeo BBQ competition started today and I am going tomorrow.

Very vague.

Still going though.

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It sounded almost like they didnt take the rodeo into account whem making this decision

Talked to my mom earlier and one of her cousins and his wife are going on a 2 week tour of the Mediterranean with stops in Greece, Turkey, and Israel (probably others as well). Tourists from Greece already infected some people in Israel.

Everyone is telling them not to go, not just for their safety, but because his mother is in her 80s, has severe COPD, and usually gets pneumonia 4-5 times a year. If she got the virus, it will be a certain death sentence.

Their response is, "we don't want to lose the money we already spent."

cone said:

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or maybe they see what's happening in Italy and want to delay that as long as possible (hoping to dodge the bullet)

maybe just maybe consider this as a generational or even 100 year storm event

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So should I cancel my trip to Vegas for March Madness in less than two weeks or realize I could die much more easily from the common flu and continue to live life as usual?