Sunday, June 14
Noon
The Indiana State Department of Health has confirmed 407 new positive COVID-19 cases in the state. The statewide total now nears 40,000 at 39,909.
ISDH also reported nine new coronavirus-related deaths. More than 2,200 Hoosiers have died from the virus.
Saturday, June 13
Noon
The Indiana State Department of Health has updated COVID-19 cases in Indiana. On Saturday, there were 432 new confirmed cases, totaling 39,543 in the state.
ISDH also reported 17 additional deaths. More than 2,200 Hoosiers have died from the virus.
Friday, June 12
Noon
The Indiana State Department of Health has updated COVID-19 cases in Indiana. On Friday, there were 452 new confirmed cases, totaling more than 39,000 total in the state.
ISDH also reported 16 additional deaths from May 9 to June 11. More than 2,200 Hoosiers have died from the virus.
According to a news release from ISDH, intensive care unit and ventilator capacity remain steady in the state. As of today, more than 38 percent of ICU beds and more than 83 percent of ventilators are available.
To this point, 335,180 Hoosiers have tested positive for novel coronavirus.
Indiana is moving to Stage 4 of reopening Friday instead of June 14.
More businesses will be able to open and larger gathering will now be allowed.
- Social gatherings up to 250 people
- Retails stores and malls at full capacity
- Dining room services to 75 percent capacity
- Bars and nightclubs can open at 50 percent capacity
- Cultural entertainment and tourism can open at 50 percent capacity (Including zoos, museums, etc.)
- Movie theaters and bowling alleys can reopen at 50 percent
- Amusement parks and water parks at 50 percent capacity (Reservation system recommended)
- Community youth and adult recreational games, leagues, and tournaments may resume
- Racing venues may open at 50 percent with social distancing
- Racing at Hoosier Park and Indiana Grand facilities can begin with no spectators
- Charity gaming and casinos may open June 15
- Playgrounds may reopen
- State government buildings open by appointment
2:30 p.m.
Beginning Monday, June 15, all Hoosiers will now be able to get tested for COVID-19 at any of the state sites.
Since March, Hoosiers have received $2.55 billion in unemployment insurance payments.
More than 2.2 million calls for unemployment have been received by the state since April. There have been 123,000 call interactions in June. The average wait time is also down to 12 minutes.
The Indiana Department of Justice reports 90 percent of those with COVID-19 have now recovered.
There has also been no deaths in state prisons in the last two weeks from COVID-19.
The latest estimates from the Regenstreif Institute on the COVID-19 impact in Indiana show a promising trend in recoveries.
Hoosiers recovered show 27,321 – or 72% of those who have tested positive.
The death rate from the virus continues to hold steady at about 6% of positive tests in Indiana.
Active cases of 8,404 people are about 22% of the total cases, and continues to decrease each day.
It's worth noting that more people have contracted the virus than than just those who tested positive, so we can assume that recovery numbers are actually much higher, along with the number of active cases.
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Thursday, June 11
Noon
The Indiana State Department of Health is reporting 25 more COVID-19 deaths through June 10. That brings the state total to 2,198 deaths.
There were also 449 new positive cases for the virus.
The Marion County Public Health Department and the Indianapolis Coalition for Patient Safety are recommending an easing of the strict visitor restriction policy adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic
his will mean more patients will get to have visitors.
Visitors are now allowed for:
- Vulnerable patients that may have special needs (dementia, Down syndrome, autism, etc.)
- Patients at the end of life
Special consideration will be given for visitors for the following patients:
- Pediatrics
- Neo-natal Intensive Care (NICU)
- Obstetrics and post-partum
- New admissions
- Intensive Care (ICU)
Visitors are not allowed for COVID-19 positive patients, but there may be some exceptions made when a patient is facing a possible end-of-life instance.
The Indianapolis Zoo is ready to reopen as soon as it gets the go-ahead from the Mayor's Office.
Zoo officials hope to learn when that will be during the Mayor Joe Hogsett's update Thursday at 2 p.m.
While Gov. Eric Holcomb announced plans to move the state into Stage 4 starting Friday, June 12 — two days earlier than initially planned — Marion County has lagged behind because the high number of COVID-19 cases.
Click here to read the list of new changes the Indianapolis Zoo will implement upon reopening.
About 1.5 million laid-off workers applied for U.S. unemployment benefits last week, evidence that many Americans are still losing their jobs even as the economy appears to be slowly recovering with more businesses partially reopening.
The latest figure from the Labor Department marked the 10th straight weekly decline in applications for jobless aid since they peaked in mid-March when the coronavirus hit hard. Still, the pace of layoffs remains historically high.
The total number of people who are receiving unemployment aid fell slightly, a sign that some people who were laid off when restaurants, retail chains and small businesses suddenly shut down have been recalled to work.
Last week’s jobs report showed that employers added 2.5 million jobs in May, an unexpected increase that suggested that the job market has bottomed out.
But the recovery has begun slowly. Though the unemployment rate unexpectedly declined from 14.7%, it is still a high 13.3%. And even with the May hiring gain, just one in nine jobs that were lost in March and April have returned. Nearly 21 million people are officially classified as unemployed.
Wednesday, June 10
Noon
The Indiana State Department of Health reports 15 more coronavirus deaths through June 9. There are now a total of 2,173 Indiana deaths from COVID-19.
The state also reported 339 new positive cases of the virus. More than 320,000 Hoosiers have been tested with about 12 percent of them coming back positive.
Whites account for about 65 percent of the deaths and 85 percent of the population as compared to Blacks who account for 15 percent of the deaths and 10 percent of the population.
Gov. Eric Holcomb and state leaders are providing an update on the response to COVID-19.
2:30 p.m.
Indiana will move to Stage 4 of reopening Friday instead of June 14.
More businesses will be able to open and larger gathering will now be allowed.
- Social gatherings up to 250 people
- Retails stores and malls at full capacity
- Dining room services to 75 percent capacity
- Bars and nightclubs can open at 50 percent capacity
- Cultural entertainment and tourism can open at 50 percent capacity (Including zoos, museums, etc.)
- Movie theaters and bowling alleys can reopen at 50 percent
- Amusement parks and water parks at 50 percent capacity (Reservation system recommended)
- Community youth and adult recreational games, leagues, and tournaments may resume
- Racing venues may open at 50 percent with social distancing
- Racing at Hoosier Park and Indiana Grand facilities can begin with no spectators
- Charity gaming and casinos may open June 15
- Playgrounds may reopen
- State government buildings open by appointment
NOTE: Festivals, fairs, parades, and carnivals remain closed
Mayor Hogsett is reminding residents who don’t currently have a face covering to sign up now in order to receive one, free of charge, in the coming days.
To date, the city has received requests for over 18,000 face coverings from Indianapolis neighbors. The first shipment arrived this week, with residents starting to receive them next week.
Those interested in requesting a free face covering can do so at indy.gov/masks. They are intended for Marion County adult residents unable to purchase their own.
The city has appropriated $3 million to the program as part of the funding from the federal CARES Act.
Tuesday, June 9
Indiana State Department of Health says that there are 430 new confirmed cases of novel coronavirus in Indiana. That brings the state's total to more than 38,000.
An additional 23 Hoosiers have died from the virus.
Those deaths were reported between May 31 and June 8. In total, 2,158 have died from the virus.
Monday, June 8
Indiana State Department of Health said 14 more people have died from coronavirus. That brings the state's total to 2,135 deaths. The department also reported 244 new cases of COVID-19, totaling more than 37,000.
Mayor Hogsett releases proposed use of coronavirus relief funds
Indianapolis Mayor Hogsett held a briefing on the proposed use of coronavirus relief funds received by the city as part of the CARES Act.
He said the city received about $168 million. The appropriation request to go before the City-county Council Monday night will include about $76 million of that total.
The package includes:
- $20 million for expanded testing and contact tracing for COVID-19 in Marion County
- $15 million for rent relief for people whose livelihood was affected by COVID-19
- Small business grants would receive an infusion of $5 million. That includes coverage of PPE for employees and businesses are eligible for up to $5,000
- There will also be a $2 million PPE reimbursement fund for non-profits
Lilly Endowment Inc. is committing up to $10 million for basic need components matching the city's plan. That money will be distributed through community centers. People in Marion County would be eligible for up to 90 days of back and future rent coverage.
The reason not all of the funds are being distributed is because the city does not know if additional funding will be coming later and is preparing itself for future needs.
White River State park prepares to reopen tourist center, IMAX
White River State Park announced the Frank Lloyd Visitor Center will reopen to the public on June 11 and the IMAX Theatre will reopen in late June.
Both were temporarily closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. While the park continued to welcome visitors to enjoy its greenspaces, trails, and canal, many other activities have been limited.
The Park attractions will begin to safely reopen and welcome visitors to enjoy many of the programs, activities and events soon.
A full list of park guidelines and protocols can be viewed by visiting their website.
IU Health eases hospital restrictions
Starting June 15, Indiana University Health will begin relaxing some of the visitor restrictions it put in place at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The revised guidelines allow for one visitor per patient, per day in inpatient areas. Each visitor will be screened and given a mask, which must be worn at all times inside the facility.
Additional visitor guidelines include:
- Visitors must be 18 or older.
- Visitors will not be allowed for patients who have tested positive for COVID-19.
- Visitors in emergency departments, ambulatory surgery centers, outpatient clinics and medical offices will be facilitated on a case-by-case basis depending on space and ability to maintain social distancing measures.