Governor extends Stage 4.5, mask-wearing rules
Gov. Eric Holcomb announced a one-month extension of mandatory mask-wearing throughout the state last week, along with the continuation of Stage 4.5 in the state’s reopening plan. Both will continue until at least Sept. 25.
Holcomb also signed an executive order extending the public health emergency an additional 30 days.
The state continues to monitor and respond to these four guiding principles:
- the number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients statewide has decreased for 14 days;
- the state retains its surge capacity for critical care beds and ventilators;
- the state retains its ability to test all Hoosiers who are COVID-19 symptomatic as well as health care workers, first responders, and frontline employees;
- health officials have systems in place to contact all people who test positive for COVID-19 and expand contact tracing.
In answer to some Hoosiers who have expressed frustration to the mask mandate, Holcomb said he would like it to go away as well, “but what we have to deal with is reality, and that is our positive rate, how fast it is spreading. … The sooner we deal with this reality — all of us, all 92 counties, every citizen — as soon as you look at this not through the eyes of protecting yourself but who you’re around, unknowingly spreading it … then the sooner the state of Indiana will bend that positive rate down.”
As of Friday afternoon, the state’s 7-day virus positivity rate was 6.5 percent.
“We want to drive it down under 5 (percent) so we can get more people back to work,” he added.
This week, the Indiana State Department of Health will be updating its map to a new color-coded version to evaluate each county based on three metrics. The new system is designed to help local and school officials understand and respond to the level of community spread in their county.
The tracker will score counties as blue, yellow, orange or red. The map will be updated weekly. Scoring does not trigger a state requirement of any action, but provides local information and recommendations based on:
- number of new cases in the past week per 100,000 residents;
- percent positivity as determined by the number of positive tests divided by the total number of tests administered; and
- the change in percent positivity from the previous week.
Updates can be found at coronavirus.in.gov.
Community room at foundation closed again
The Brown County Community Foundation is closing its lower-level community meeting room again because of COVID-19 concerns.
When the BCCF reopened the Howard Hughes Community Room on June 14 with strict social distancing guidelines, staff used the latest guidance from the governor and organizations like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “We remained committed to the safety of staff and visitors, which led us to requiring masks,” a BCCF statement said.
“Now, two months later, there is growing evidence that the coronavirus can remain airborne and travel longer distances than originally thought. The layout and design of our building, in addition to our HVAC system, can all impact potential airborne spread of the virus.”
The board has decided to close the Howard Hughes Community Room, effective Sept. 1, to limit employee exposure through air recirculation.
“We continue to encourage community groups to limit the number of in-person meetings, instead opting for virtual meetings,” a statement from the BCCF said. “We have the resources available to host your next meeting via Zoom, should you need it.
“We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and hope you will understand the intention of our Board is to keep our community and staff safe.”
School district starting task force back up
Brown County Schools is reinstating its Return to School task force so the group can refine its return-to-school plan as new information is learned about COVID-19.
Superintendent Laura Hammack reported to the school board on Aug. 20 that the district did not have any confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the schools.
“It has been a gift every day to have the students back participating in school via in person or in remote. It is challenging in a way we never thought could be possible, and the level of stress and extra work that is on every single employee in this organization is not to be underestimated,” she said.
She also credited the students for a smooth start to a less-than-normal school year. “I am so mad at myself that in this planning process I consistently underestimated our kids. They have been amazing,” she said.
“They wear their masks. They walk in lines. They walk in the path they are supposed to be walking, they go down hallway the right way, they are respectful and responsible. They are not the best at social distancing, which is hard. But all in all, they have just been incredible.”
Hammack said that even though district did not have any positive staff or student cases as of Aug. 20, district leaders know that will not always be the case. “We are very real with understanding that this virus is not immune to Brown County,” she said.
On Aug. 31, a person associated with the BCHS boys soccer program tested positive, triggering a quarantine for the whole team.
As district leaders learn new information, they are refining the return-to-school plan.
The plan the task force created for the start of the school years outlines how school would be conducted in three situations: Low to no spread of COVID-19; minimal or moderate spread; and substantial spread.
Hammack compared the plan to a stoplight, with Plan A being the green light, which is where the district is now. Yellow would put fewer students physically in school on certain days, with students being taught remotely on the other days.
“We expect to have a school move to yellow at some point this school year,” Hammack said.
She said she will keep the board aware of any virus developments and if any positive cases happen.
She added the district is cautious about how getting the coronavirus can carry a stigma. “There are folks who worry about being identified,” she said.
“We don’t want a student or staff to feel badly if they test positive. That’s something we’re really being thoughtful about how that all unfolds at the school level. Good things, but hard things are going on there.”
Overtime pay for some county employees OK’d
The Brown County Commissioners approved updates to the county’s personnel policy related to the pandemic on Aug. 19, including paying overtime to salaried county employees who are working “on the front lines.”
The commissioners also changed how employees are paid if they are sent home due to COVID-19 concerns.
If an employee is sent home because he or she was possibly exposed or has symptoms, regular sick days would not be used. Instead, regular paid days will be turned into sick leave bank days with permission, Human Resources Coordinator Melissa Stinson explained.
“The reason the regular sick days are not being used is because we are saying they are mandated to go home. We’re not giving them the choice to work while they are sick,” Stinson said Aug. 19.
The commissioners approved paying overtime to salaried employees who are working during the pandemic. Those employees are Brown County Emergency Management Director Susan Armstrong, Public Health Preparedness Coordinator Corey Frost and public health nurse Jennifer Unsworth.
“Right now Susan (Armstrong) gets no overtime because she’s an exempt employee. She has money for call-out pay, but that’s for flood or power outage, a normal emergency,” commissioner Diana Biddle said during the EMA budget review on Aug. 18.
“Normal emergencies don’t last a year, and the physical toll that this is taking on our incident command staff is substantial.”
Biddle said the overtime pay can be reimbursed through CARES Act funding, but the county has to pay it out first.
