County offices, Town Hall now open
The County Office Building and Nashville Town Hall are now open to walk-in visitors at the main entrances, and the Brown County Commissioners are working with other county departments to begin reopening.
County commissioner Diana Biddle said “all of the necessary precautions” have been taken, including having clear plastic screens at the counters in all of the offices.
Masks will not be required in the County Office Building or in Town Hall, but are advised if a person is not feeling well.
“We feel like we’ve done as much as we’ve can to protect our workforce, so anyone coming into the building, if you have symptoms, you think you’re not feeling good, you have seasonal allergies, wear masks,” Biddle said.
“If you’re fully vaccinated and you feel fine, we’re not going to be the mask police. The governor changed the mask mandate April 6 to an advisory, so we will continue to follow the governor’s guidelines.”
The April 6 change to an advisory applied to people in public places generally, but an April 29 executive order from Gov. Eric Holcomb states that face coverings shall be worn over the nose and mouth inside all state government buildings; outside on state property when social distancing is not possible; at COVID testing or vaccination sites; and in schools.
The Nashville Town Council also decided at their May 20 meeting to allow all town boards and commissions to meet in person again. Virtual audience options may still be offered depending on where the boards meet.
Color change does not carry restrictions
Indiana is still under a public health emergency until at least the end of this month. However, no rules are in place anymore if the county’s COVID “color” level rises above blue, the lowest level — like it did this past Wednesday, when Brown County went back to yellow.
Senate Enrolled Act (SEA) 5 restricts the ability of local health officials to implement health restrictions during an emergency that are more stringent or not addressed in an executive order, unless the order is first approved by a local legislative body.
The Brown County Commissioners did not choose to affirm the local health orders from Brown County Health Officer Dr. Norman Oestrike.
At the May 19 meeting, Biddle said that Oestrike’s rules, issued April 14, never went “above and beyond the governor’s requirements.” But actually, they did, because Oestrike’s orders required masks inside businesses when only an advisory was in place for most buildings across the state, and put capacity restrictions on businesses and gatherings.
On May 19, Brown County was moved back to yellow status on the Indiana State Department of Health’s color-coded map of virus spread. Biddle said that was based on a mathematical skew; because fewer people are getting tested, one or two positives can throw off the ratio.
“If only 10 people in the county get tested this week and one person tests positive, that is a 10 percent ratio, which puts us into yellow,” she said.
Commissioners President Jerry Pittman noted there had not been any new deaths or major increases in positive cases either.
“But because the test rate is so low, then it makes our results seem higher than we are,” Biddle said.
She said that if the county had an outbreak of COVID-19 cases, the commissioners would consult with the health department on any rules needed.
Between Tuesday, May 18 and Monday, May 24, three new COVID cases were added to Brown County’s running total since March 2020 (now 1,030). No new deaths were added (total 41). The county’s at-least-partial vaccination percentage was nearly 40 percent of the population as of Friday.
Vaccination interest continues to decline
Last week, the vaccination site at the Brown County Music Center had around 50 to 60 percent of its available vaccine appointments filled.
“We start going down to 30 (the week of May 24) then all the way down to 13 percent, then it just drops off after that,” Public Health Preparedness Coordinator Corey Frost reported at the May 19 Brown County Commissioners meeting.
About 40 percent of the county’s population has been vaccinated.
The Brown County site has been giving the two-dose Moderna vaccine only, but recently has been able to get a limited amount of Pfizer doses. Those are being held for children ages 12 to 17 or anyone who comes in for a second dose who has had the first dose of Pfizer.
Toward the end of the day, the health department sends out messages letting people know if there are leftover vaccines. The Brown County Democrat has been announcing the available Pfizer doses on its Facebook page.
Anyone can walk in to the site to get a vaccine shot now; no appointment is required.
“Outreach continues, saying, ‘Hey, let’s throw some more needles in arms. Let’s try to get to the 70-percent threshold,’” Frost said. “We’re still in a fight.”
Health department, vaccine site moving
The Brown County Health Department, along with the vaccination and testing site at the Brown County Music Center, is moving to 200 Hawthorne Drive, the former Nashville Police station.
Currently, Brown County Community Corrections is in the building. That department will now move to where the health department environmental officers’ offices are, on the second floor of the County Office Building, commissioner Diana Biddle reported May 19.
Biddle said she was meeting with an architect to discuss changing the bathroom arrangement at Hawthorne Drive to better accommodate health department staff. Modifications also will be made to the sidewalks at the Hawthorne Drive building to meet Americans with Disabilities Act requirements.
The circle drive at the Hawthorne Drive building will also work for drive-up COVID-19 testing, which will take place until the end of the year. It will be paid for with a $50,000 grant.
The testing and vaccine site will move to the new location July 1, since shows at the music center are currently scheduled to resume in September.
The county bought the Hawthorne Drive building from the Nashville Town Council last spring.
