We'll be updating this story throughout the day Monday with the latest local news on the coronavirus. If you'd like to go through a roundup of COVID-19 news from over the weekend, read it here. If you have a news tip or question, email us at news@KUT.org.

Update at 1:46 p.m. — Tito’s Vodka to make hand sanitizer for people in need

Tito’s Handmade Vodka says it’s working on producing hand sanitizer.

The coronavirus pandemic has led to shortages of hand sanitizer, which is thought to help protect people against the disease, at stores across the country. Earlier this month, people started suggesting online that Tito’s Vodka could be used to make homemade hand sanitizer. But the retailer quickly responded, reminding the public that hand sanitizer must contain 60% alcohol, and Tito’s is 40%.

The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau announced last week it is allowing permitted distillers to produce ethanol-based hand sanitizers.

The company wrote on its Facebook page that it’s in the process of getting the supplies it needs to produce hand sanitizer, and it has the equipment to make an initial 24 tons of it over the course of several weeks.

“While we don’t have all of the details quite yet, we do know we will be giving it away for free to our community and those most in need,” the company wrote.

Update at 1:18 p.m. — Five new COVID-19 cases confirmed in Williamson County

Five new positive cases of the coronavirus have been confirmed by the Williamson County and Cities Health District, bringing the county’s total to 14.

All but one of the new cases has an unknown source of exposure, the health district said. Two of the cases are women in their 20s, two are women in their 30s and one case is a woman in her 40s.

The 14 cases in Williamson County are located in the following cities:

Austin: 2

Cedar Park: 4

Georgetown: 4

Leander: 1

Round Rock: 3

Update at 1:13 p.m. — Hays County sets up coronavirus hotline

Hays County and the City of San Marcos have set up a hotline people can call with questions about the coronavirus. Call-takers can answer questions in English and Spanish.

The service is available Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The number is 512-393-5525.

Update at 12:30 p.m. – Austin City Council members will vote on additional renter protections

In an attempt to further slow the eviction process in Austin for renters who’ve lost wages because of the COVID-19 crisis, council members will vote Thursday on a measure to essentially stall eviction filings against tenants for two months.

The proposed ordinance from Council Member Greg Casar requires that landlords give tenants up to 60 days to pay owed rent before posting a "notice to vacate" sign on a tenant’s door, typically the first step in an eviction proceeding.

While landlords can still file evictions during the coronavirus pandemic, Travis County judges are not hearing these cases. Judges suspended eviction hearings until at least May 9 as part of the effort to slow the spread of coronavirus. More on that here.

Update at 12:13 p.m. – Austin Energy encourages customers to track their electric use

Social distancing is key to slowing the spread of the coronavirus. But one side effect of staying at home – away from friends and work – is that resident's electricity use is likely to rise.

The problem will only get worse as the weather heats up, so Austin Energy is pointing customers with “advanced meters” to programs that help them track their electric use. The utility’s Weekly Electricity Update sends you emails that compare your electric use week to week, so you know how much more (or less) you might be consuming.

A "high bill alert" email tells you if your monthly bill is higher than it was during the same month a year ago.

If Austin Energy has an email on file, residents should receive the updates automatically. If you’re not getting them, you can call Customer Care at 512-494-9400 to sign up.

Update at 11:48 a.m. — Waco mayor issues shelter-in-place order

Waco Mayor Kyle Deaver is ordering all residents to stay at home, except to go to essential activities, work at essential businesses or for essential government functions. He’s also ordered all nonessential businesses to close, unless employees can work from home.

Essential businesses include grocery stores, health care providers, gas stations, banks, hardware and construction supply stores, restaurants (delivery and takeout only) and media organizations.

The order bans public and private gatherings of more than 10 people, excluding family groups.

Violating the order is a class C misdemeanor and could carry a fine of up to $1,000.

McLennan County, where Waco is located, is reporting 16 confirmed cases of the coronavirus so far.

Update at 10:34 a.m. — City of Pflugerville closes all playscapes, pavilions and courts in its parks

Pflugerville is closing pavilions, playscapes and volleyball, basketball and tennis courts in city parks immediately, the city said Monday morning.

The city said the closures are in place to encourage social distancing and discourage social gatherings.

City trails are still open — just remember to stay more than 6 feet apart and keep groups fewer than 10 people.

Update at 9:02 a.m. — Mayor Adler says shelter-in-place order is "absolutely" under consideration

Austin Mayor Steve Adler told KUT's Morning Edition that Travis County is considering its own "shelter-in-place" policy — but no final decision has been made.

On Sunday, Dallas County became the first county in Texas to issue such an order in an effort to keep hospitals from being overrun with patients. Adler said a lot of the rules put in place with the Dallas order are things Austin is already doing. Still, Adler said, nothing is off the table.

A "shelter-in-place policy is something that is absolutely under consideration," the mayor said. "I know that the county judge here has been in contact with the county judge in the other big counties. And we're making these decisions on a day-to-day basis."

Adler said, right now, the most important thing to do is to stay home – especially is you're not feeling well. If you do need to leave to run errands, the mayor suggests only one person from a household go out at a time and make sure there are 6 feet between you and those around you at all times.

Read Adler's full conversation with KUT's Nadia Hamdan here.

Update at 7:39 a.m. — Federal court in Austin issues restraining order against website offering coronavirus vaccine

The Department of Justice said it has taken its first action in federal court against fraud related to the coronavirus pandemic.

The operators of coronavirusmedicalkit.com, which has since been shut down, are engaging in a wire fraud scheme to profit from the confusion and fear surrounding COVID-19, federal prosecutors said.

The website claimed to offer access to World Health Organization vaccine kits in exchange for a shipping charge of $4.95. There are currently no legitimate COVID-19 vaccines and the WHO is not distributing any such vaccine, the DOJ said.

The restraining order issued in Austin requires the website registrar to immediately block public access to it.

“Attorney General Barr has directed the department to prioritize fraud schemes arising out of the coronavirus emergency,” said U.S. Attorney John F. Bash of the Western District of Texas. “We therefore moved very quickly to shut down this scam." An investigation of the website and its operators continues.

The DOJ urges the public to report suspected fraud schemes related to COVID-19 by calling the National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) hotline (1-866-720-5721) or by e-mailing the NCDF at disaster@leo.gov.

Catch up on what happened over the weekend

Gov. Abbott issues new rules to increase hospital capacity

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced Sunday he is issuing orders to increase health care and hospital capacity as COVID-19 spreads throughout the state. He said he was not, however, going to issue a "shelter-in-place" order for Texas, as other governors have done.

Abbott is directing health care professionals to postpone all surgeries and procedures that are not necessary to correct a serious medical condition or to preserve the life of a patient. He said he is also suspending regulations that prevent doctors from treating more than one patient in a room.

“Together these orders will free up countless hospital beds across the entire state of Texas to be able to treat the potential increase in COVID-19 patients,” the governor said.

On Saturday, Abbott waived some nursing license regulations in the state to increase the number of available nurses.

Read more from Marisa Charpentier.

Austin and Travis County open joint COVID-19 testing sites

The City of Austin and Travis County opened its first COVID-19 testing site Saturday, one of 11 sites in a public-private partnership between Austin Public Health, St. David’s, Ascension Seton, UT's Dell Medical School and Baylor Scott and White.

The city says there is a big gap between the number of tests available and the number of people seeking a test, so sites will prioritize individuals who are sent by referral and have an appointment. Priority will be given to individuals with specific symptoms and risk factors such as travel, close contact with confirmed cases or underlying health conditions.

Federal disaster loans now open to small businessses and nonprofits in Austin

Austin small businesses and nonprofits hurt by the COVID-19 crisis can now apply for emergency loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). The Austin City Council is also considering a gap-financing program that could provide loans to applicants as they await the federal loans.

The SBA disaster assistance loans became available in Texas after the state received a federal disaster declaration over the coronavirus. The loans offer borrowers up to $2 million to pay “fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable and other bills that can’t be paid because of the disaster’s impact,” according to this SBA fact sheet.

Read more from Mose Buchele.

Other local coronavirus news: