Austin, Texas – After hospitalizations for Covid-19 tripled over the last week, Austin Public Health has moved the city back into stage 3 of its risk-based guidelines, recommending increased mask use in public places.

It's been nearly two months since Gov. Greg Abbott lifted the statewide mask mandate and put an executive order in place that banned mask mandates across Texas.

While Austin, Texas, might seem to be back to its pre-pandemic ways, a rise in Covid-19 hospitalizations is reminding people that the risk hasn't gone away.

On Thursday, Austin Public Health announced that hospitalizations in Austin-Travis County had surpassed the seven-day average threshold of 15, averaging at 20-per-day.

With the city under stage 3 of Austin Public Health's risk-based recommendations, many are questioning what that means for them, and where mask-use might be "required."

Stage 3 guidelines are hardly different from stage 2, which the city has been operating under since May.

Individuals who are fully vaccinated can be indoors, outdoors, and at private gatherings without being masked, unless a business requires all customers to do so. Those who are unvaccinated or partially vaccinated and are low-risk can do the same, but masking is highly recommended.

People that are partially vaccinated or unvaccinated and are high-risk are asked to avoid non-essential indoor and outdoor activities – even if masked.

Because the city cannot put a mask mandate in place under GA 36, which bans government entities from mandating masks, the decision to require masks is left up to the businesses, many of which have already restored their masking requirements.

Businesses such as Waterloo Records have already made the decision to require masks by all customers and employees, notifying its customers via Instagram of the updated policy.

The hope is that Austin-Travis County can curb the infection rates before they get out of hand, allowing Austinites and tourists alike to enjoy everything the city has to offer – risk-free.