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San Antonio City Council approves extension of emergency order until April 30

The order is among a number of other coronavirus-related issues listed on the council's agenda.

SAN ANTONIO — San Antonio's city council held a meeting Thursday to discuss the 'Stay Home, Work Safe' order currently in place. 

The order is among a number of actions the city has taken to slow and stop the spread of coronavirus in San Antonio. 

Around 11:51 a.m., City Council passed the motion to extend the emergency order until April 30.

The meeting, which began at 9:20 a.m., started with a moment of silence for the coronavirus victims locally and around the world who have lost their lives from coronavirus. 

Next, the council moved into a presentation on the financial impact of the coronavirus. 

It was announced that the city is anticipating a revenue loss of approximately $55 million.

In an effort to address this loss in revenue, here are some of the actions the city has taken: 

Governor Greg Abbott has already directed Texans to stay home, but by extending the city's 'Stay Home' order, this will allow the city to continue enforcing its ordinance. 

Council members have been video-calling in for recent meetings and they've increased space between everyone present to abide by the CDC's social distancing guidelines. 

Councilwoman Ana Sandoval voted against extending the order, saying that while she agreed with it, she believes other additional strategies need to be considered and voted on as well, such as expanding testing and scaling up contact tracing.

“These types of strategies will help us more quickly de-escalate business restrictions and reduce our economic damage," she said via email.

“I stand by my obligation as an elected official to make decisions regarding this unprecedented crisis and look forward to continuing to work closely with my council colleagues and city staff. I trust that moving forward we will consider these additional actions and strategies. Until then, I continue to support the spirit of the order and recommend that residents stay home, practice social distancing, and wash hands frequently.”

A full look at the council's meeting agenda is available here.

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