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Defenders Q&A: Tax credits, travel quarantine orders and weddings

If you have a question you'd like for KVUE to answer, text 512-459-9442.

AUSTIN, Texas — Many viewers have reached out to KVUE with questions regarding coronavirus, so our KVUE Defenders decided to take a look at some of them.

Here are the answers to some of your questions.

Question: Due to the stay and work from home order required by one's employer and governor, will one be able to claim a tax credit for the in-home office?

Answer: No. You can only take a tax deduction if you're self-employed. There is a tax deduction for home offices, but it's only available to self-employed people. One of the principal requirements of the home office deduction is the space you use for business must be regularly and exclusively used for business. This means you cannot use the space for both business and personal.

RELATED: Defenders Q&A: Will stimulus checks go to child support? Can baby wipes kill viruses?

Question: When will the 14-day quarantine for air travelers from Washington state and the other states be lifted?

Answer: As of right now, every person who enters the state of Texas from California, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Washington state, Atlanta, Georgia; Chicago, Illinois; Miami, Florida; and Detroit City, Michigan, will need to self-quarantine for 14 days. During this time, you cannot go to public places or allow visitors into the quarantine area. 

RELATED: Your COVID-19 questions answered: When will we get another stimulus check? Can you lose eligibility for unemployment?

Question: Are wedding venues able to open at 50% by the end of the month?

Answer: As of May 19, wedding venues must still operate at 25% capacity. Employees and contractors of the wedding venue are not counted towards the occupancy limit.

Question: Bar restrictions state that customers must be seated at a table and cannot order at the bar top. Does that apply to restaurant bar tops as well?

Answer: Yes. Health protocol requires that bars are physically blocked off and bar stools are either blocked or removed. This applies to bars and other places with bars like restaurants.

RELATED: Checklist: How Texas bars will operate when they can reopen May 22

Question: Can KVUE find out if the 24 Hour Fitness locations in Austin and surrounding areas will reopen or not?

Answer: We did some digging and found out there are some locations open in Texas but none in the Austin area. We also called around and all locations have the same recorded message and no one is available to take calls. According to a sign on the door of the Pflugerville location, they are permanently closed for not paying rent. We also found a statement on the gym's website that reads in part, "At 24 Hour Fitness, we look forward to reopening clubs as soon as it is safe to do so." But there's no clear answer on when exactly that will be.

Question: With the reopenings the governor announced, can you find out if Round Rock ISD will make any changes for the 2020 graduation? Specifically, regarding that only four attendees from the same household attend per graduate.

Answer: We reached out to RRISD, which said it has no plans to modify. The district is following the lead of the Texas Education Agency, which limits group size.

If you have a question you'd like for KVUE to answer, text us at 512-459-9442.

WATCH: KVUE Defenders answer questions about bars, gyms, graduation

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