Indy closes bars, pushes back start of in-school classes, adds more restrictions to curb virus

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Mayor Joe Hogsett on Thursday announced new restrictions, including another closing of bars, taverns and nightclubs, during the coronavirus pandemic.

The announcement came a day after Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb initiated a mask mandate for the state, beginning Monday and lasting until further notice. Indianapolis began a mask mandate July 9.

The mayor said bars will remain closed until at least Aug. 12. The county Public Health director said 75% of its citations during the virus pandemic have gone to bars and nightclubs. It’s also received more than 200 complaints of people not wearing masks in bars and nightclubs.

Here are other restrictions that begin Friday:

• Restaurants must close their bars and must have 50% indoor capacity. Outdoor seating is preferred with social distancing. The city will work to expand outdoor seating. Also, all restaurants must close from midnight to 5 a.m.
• Marion County schools may not return to in-school classes until at least Aug 5. E-learning can begin before Aug. 5. Health officials plan to meet with school districts’ leaders next week to talk about plans for school operations. Discussions about athletics at schools are under review. The mayor said five of the 11 public school districts in Marion County had planned to start the new school year before Aug. 5.
• Social gatherings — including weddings, banquets, parties and club meetings — are limited to 50 people. All other forms of gatherings, meetings, or special or seasonal events must be limited to 250 people or fewer, unless the Public Health department approves a risk mitigation plan for a special or seasonal event that anticipates more than 250 attendees.
• Places of worship and funeral homes may provide indoor services at 50% capacity; outdoor services are permitted with no capacity limit but social distancing is required.
• Tattoo parlors, nail salons and spas must operate with appointments only.
• Gyms, fitness centers, yoga and dance studios, martial arts facilities and similar businesses must operate at 25% capacity.
• Shopping malls and other retail stores, including liquor stores and convenience stores, may remain open but must restrict capacity to 75%.
• Sports venues will be restricted to 25% capacity, unless a plan is approved from the Marion County Public Health Department. The mayor said city officials have been working with Indianapolis Motor Speedway in relation to its plans for 25% capacity at the Aug. 23 Indianapolis 500, but data will continue to be monitored for possible changes. IMS initially planned for the rescheduled event to have 50% capacity.
• Assisted living communities and nursing homes remain closed to visitors, except that outdoor visitation opportunities may be resumed in accordance with Indiana State Department of Health guidelines.

No travel restrictions are being made, although people who travel to states with high virus rates should consider quarantining for 14 days upon returning, the mayor said.

The city’s positivity rate has jumped by 50%. Hogsett said, “Without a response, that trajectory will undo all the hard work we’ve done, have put in, over the past four months.”

The increase in positive cases began when larger groups started to gather without attention to social distancing and proper hand washing, officials said.

Transmission of the coronavirus most often occurred indoors for social occasions, especially the age group 20-30 in gyms, bars and other venues, the mayor said, citing research.

“Our latest data clearly shows that transmission is occurring most often indoors particularly when groups of people gather to socialize. The data also shows that for the first time positivity rates are skyrocketing among young adults between the age of 18 and 30, particularly when those individuals have been congregating in gyms, bars and other indoor venues,” Hogsett said.

Dr. Virginia Caine, the Public Health director, said Marion County saw 300 cases a day in May, but that total has begun to increase again since July 4. Currently, the county is seeing almost 100 new coronavirus cases a day, nearly double from just a few weeks ago.

She noted that counties surrounding Indianapolis and states surrounding Indiana also have seen significant increases in the past 14 days.

In the past two weeks, the number of deaths from COVID-19 have also increased, Caine said.

She also said the initial virus numbers for Marion County saw the elderly population as being the primary age group being affected, but about 45% of new cases in the past 30 days have been in the age group of 20-39. “This has major implications for us when we look at the risk of transmission and what factors are contributing to this.”

Hospitalizations have also been on the increase. Caine said the statewide mask mandate that begins Monday will help drive numbers down, but warned if Marion County continues to act in the same manner, positive cases and deaths will continue to increase.

Statements

“Indianapolis Public Schools is monitoring data reported by state and local health and government officials, and we acknowledge the latest numbers are troubling as cases of COVID-19 steadily trend upward. As we’ve stated from the beginning, we will continue to remain flexible and make decisions in the best interest of the health and safety of our students and staff. That could mean further altering our current back to school plans if the latest interventions by the city and state don’t move the needle in a positive direction quickly. We’ll remain in close contact with our families and staff to relay any new information in a timely manner.”

Aleesia Johnson, superintendent, Indianapolis Public Schools

Below is video from the mayor’s news conference. App users can access it online.