Nearly half a million people from around the world were expected to come, filling 55,000 room nights at hotels. But last week, before a single case of the virus had been reported in the city, the mayor of Austin, Steve Adler, announced a local state of emergency as the coronavirus emerged in the United States. A nonprofit foundation created the Stand With Austin Fund, where residents can donate money to those negatively affected. Harold Cook, a former executive director of the Texas Democratic Party, came up with #TipForTwo — double tipping to help the service industry. “In some respects, we need to look at this as if a tornado came through our city,” Mr. Adler said.

Source: New York Times March 13, 2020 09:01 UTC