FIRST
FIRST TONIGHT -- NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN A STORY THE KVUE DEFENDERS BROKE THIS
AFTERNOON...
AFTERNOON... IN JUST THE PAST HOUR -- AUSTIN
MAYOR STEVE ADLER ISSUED AN APOLOGY FOR TRAVELING
TO MEXICO LAST
MONTH WITH A GROUP OF PEOPLE
AFTER HOSTING HIS
DAUGHTER'S WEDDING.
BOTH HAPPENED JUST AS TOP HEALTH
OFFICIALS
URGED FAMILIES NOT TO GATHER
WITH OTHERS OUTSIDE THEIR
HOUSEHOLDS AND THE MAYOR HIMSELF
ASKED PEOPLE TO STAY
HOME IF THEY CAN.
SENIOR REPORTER TONY PLOHETSKI
ASKED THE MAYOR THIS WEEK ABOUT THE
PERSONAL ACTIONS HE
TOOK LAST MONTH. HE'S LIVE
DOWNTOWN TO
EXPLAIN.
EXPLAIN.
EXPLAIN. BRYAN AND TERRI
AN IMPORTANT POINT HERE -- MAYOR ADLER SAYS HE DID NOT
VIOLATE HIS OWN ORDER --
OR ORDERS BY GOVERNOR GREG
ABBOTT.
BUT HE NOW SAYS HE REGRETS THE
TRAVEL -- AND
FEARS OTHERS MAY USE IT AS
JUSTIFICATION FOR RISKY
BEHAVIOR.
BEHAVIOR.
BEHAVIOR. FOR MONTHS -- AUSTIN MAYOR STEVE
ADLER HAS TAKEN TO FACEBOOK LIVE MOST NIGHTS TO
KEEP THE COMMUNITY
INFORMED ABOUT THE SPREAD OF
COVID-19.
BUT AS HE ISSUED THIS MESSAGE ON
THE NIGHT OF
NOVEMBER 9TH --
SOT
2:40
SOT 2:40
SOT 2:40 "WE NEED TO STAY HOME IF YOU
CAN."
2:43
CAN." 2:43 -- HE WAS DOING IT FROM A
TIMESHARE IN CABO SAN
LUCAS.
SOT
LUCAS. SOT 2:45
SOT 2:45
SOT 2:45 "WE NEED TO KEEP THE NUMBERS
DOWN. THIS IS
NOT THE TIME TO RELAX."
2:47
THE MAYOR CONFIRMS HE WAS THERE
ON VACATION WITH
EIGHT PEOPLE, INCLUDING
IMMEDIATE AND EXTENDED
FAMILY, AFTER FLYING ON A
PRIVATE JET.
VO W/ HOTEL EXTERIORS HOTEL ST.
CECILIA
TWO DAYS EARLIER, ADLER HOSTED A
WEDDING AND
RECEPTION AT A SOUTH CONGRESS
HOTEL FOR HIS
DAUGHTER WITH 20 FAMILY MEMBERS
AND OTHER GUESTS.
AT THE TIME, AUSTIN WAS UNDER
STAGE 3 GUIDELINES,
WHICH SUGGEST NO GATHERINGS OF
MORE THAN 10 PEOPLE.
THE
THE MAYOR
THE MAYOR SAYS HE CONSULTED WITH AUSTIN'S TOP HEALTH AUTHORITY DR. MARK ESCOTT.
ADLER SAYS HE HELD THE EVENT
OUTDOORS.
AND GUESTS HAD TO MAINTAIN
SOCIAL DISTANCE.
HE SAYS THE BRIDE AND GROOM GAVE
OUT MASKS --
ALTHOUGH HE SAYS NOT EVERYONE
WORE THEM THE
ENTIRE TIME.
AND EVERYONE HAD TO GET A
COVID-19 TEST PRIOR TO
ATTENDING.
SEVERAL WEDDING ATTENDEES FLEW
TO AUSTIN
FROM ACROSS THE U-S, INCLUDING A
SEATTLE-BASED
WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER . SOT
6:06
"IT'S NOT PERFECT. OBVIOUSLY
THERE ARE
INFECTIONS THAT COULD HAPPEN.
BUT WHAT WE DID
WAS STAY COMPLIANT WITH THE
RULES."
6:18
RULES." 6:18 AIRPORT VO
THE NEXT DAY, EIGHT OF THOSE
ATTENDEES, INCLUDING
ADLER AND BOTH IMMEDIATE AND
EXTENDED FAMILY
MEMBERS, DEPARTED FOR THEIR TRIP
TO CABO.
THE DAY AFTER THEY LEFT, ESCOTT
ISSUED THIS PUBLIC
WARNING.
ESCOTT SOT
ONCE AGAIN, IF YOU'RE GOING TO
GO OUT TO A RESTAURANT,
GO OUT WITH YOUR FAMILY, THE
PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN
YOUR HOUSEHOLD, NOT WITH FAMILY
AND
FRIENDS OUTSIDE OF YOUR
HOUSEHOLD,
AND START TO DECREASE THOSE
THOSE TRAVELS
OUTSIDE OF YOUR HOME THAT ARE
NOT NECESSARY
UNDER THE GOVERNOR'S EXECUTIVE
ORDERS FOR
THE STATE, WHICH SUPERSEDE ANY
LOCAL
GUIDELINES, SAY, QUOTE, "WEDDING
RECEPTIONS
HELD OUTDOORS ARE STRONGLY
RECOMMENDED
AND ARE NOT SUBJECT TO AN
OCCUPANCY LIMIT."
THE WEEK AFTER ADLER RETURNED,
ON NOVEMBER
19TH, THE CITY RAISED THE THREAT
LEVEL TO STAGE 4 --
WITH RECOMMENDATI ONS AGAINST
TRAVEL AND
GATHERING WITH PEOPLE OUTSIDE OF
YOUR
HOUSEHOLD.
YOUR HOUSEHOLD.
HOUSEHOLD. THE MAYOR'S ACTIONS COME A WEEK
AFTER WILLIAMSON COUNTY JUDGE BILL GRAVELL PAID A
1-THOUSAND
DOLLAR FINE FOR VIOLATING HIS
OWN STAY HOME ORDER IN
MARCH.
AGAIN -- THE MAYOR DID NOT
VIOLATE ANY ORDER OR LAW.
WE REACHED OUT TO THE WEDDING
PHOTOGRAPHER
AND VENUE BUT HAVE NOT HEARD
BACK.
I DID ASK THE MAYOR IF ANYONE
TESTED POSITIVE AFTER
THESE ACTIVITIES, AND HE SAID
NO. HE SAID HE DOES
NOT THINK HE TOOK A TEST BUT
GENERALLY QUARANTINED.
GENERALLY QUARANTINED.
TONY,
TONY, WHAT ARE THE RULES ABOUT TRAVELING TO
TRAVELING TO
PLACES
PLACES LIKE MEXICO? IT'S A POPULAR PLACE RIGHT NOW
FOR
FOR TOURISTS. THAT'S BECAUSE MEXICO HAS PLACED NO RESTRICTIONS
ON PEOPLE COMING INTO THE
COUNTRY BY AIR. LAND
CROSSINGS INTO THE UNITED
STATES, HOWEVER, HAVE
BEEN LIMITED TO ESSENTIAL
BUSINESS AND AMERICANS
RETURNING HOME. TERRI.
AND
AND WE
AND WE WANT TO TAKE A LOOK BACK -- AT HOW THINGS WERE LOOKING LEADING UP TO THE
WEDDING.
WEDDING.
WEDDING. IN LATE OCTOBER, AUSTIN WAS
AVERAGING A LITTLE LESS THAN 90 NEW COVID
CASES PER DAY.
TO START NOVEMBER, THAT NUMBER
CLIMBED TO THE
MID 90S... AND THEN BY THE DAY
OF THE WEDDING -- UP
TO AROUND 125 CASES.
BY COMPARISON -- THAT NUMBER
ROSE TO 300 A FEW DAYS
BEFORE THANKSGIVING.
AND HOSPITAL ADMISSIONS -- WHICH
IS WHAT THE CITY'S
GUIDELINES ARE BASED ON -- THAT
NUMBER WAS UNDER 20
AND FALLING AT THE END OF
OCTOBER.
BUT THEN QUICKLY STARTED
CLIMBING TO 25
BY THE DAY OF THE WEDDING -- AND
ON UP TO 37 -- BY
THANKSGIVING.
AUSTIN-TRAVIS COUNTY MOVED INTO
STAGE 4 ... WITH TIGHTER
COVID-19 RECOMMENDATI ONS ...
AFTER CROSSING 30.
YOU CAN WATCH THE FULL VIDEO
MAYOR
MAYOR ADLER RECORDED IN MEXICO ON KVUE-DOT-COM AND KVUE'S YOUTUBE PAGE.
YOUTUBE PAGE.