The Indiana State Department of Health reported 38 additional confirmed deaths on Wednesday, bringing the state’s total to 1,482. The state announced more than 25,000 total confirmed cases, with more than 154,000 Hoosiers tested.
Study Suggests 186,000 Hoosiers With COVID-19; Nearly Half Without Symptoms
An estimated 186,000 Hoosiers have or had COVID-19. That number is from initial results of a statewide study by the Fairbanks School of Public Health at IUPUI.
The Fairbanks School tested 4,611 people around the end of April, randomly sampled to replicate the demographics of the state’s population. And the prevalence of the disease was around 2.8 percent.
“This finding … strongly suggests that our social distancing policies played a critical role in curbing the spread of the virus and containing it to within households, as opposed to within the community,” says Nir Menachemi, who helped lead the study.
The Fairbanks study also suggests nearly half of all Hoosiers who are positive for the virus don’t show symptoms.
OUCC To State: Continue Protections For Hoosiers Who Can't Pay Energy Bills
Utility companies will soon be allowed to resume disconnections for unpaid bills. The state’s consumer advocate group is asking the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission to continue protections for people unemployed due to the COVID-19 crisis.
Among other things, the group wants the IURC to order utilities to continue suspending disconnections past June 4 — the date the governor’s moratorium on disconnections lifts.
“And also require utilities to waive deposits, reconnection fees, and late fees as another step to help protect consumers during this difficult time," says Anthony Swinger with the Office of the Utility Consumer Counselor.
The OUCC also wants the commission to look into how utilities can best recover money lost due to things like unpaid bills.
Marion County Announces Plans To Slowly Reopen Starting Friday
Indianapolis city officials announced plans to start slowly reopening businesses. On Friday, May 15 Indianapolis will begin implementing parts of phase two of the state's plan to reopen.
Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett says the data shows Marion County is in a position to loosen some restrictions, but keep safety top of mind.
"At the end of the day the numbers and charts aren’t just facts and figures," says Hogsett. "They are people."
Under the new orders, gatherings of up to 25 people, including religious services will be allowed beginning this weekend. Non-essential retail stores may open at 50 percent capacity.
Restaurants will be allowed to reopen to in-person dining on May 22 with outdoor seating only.
Personal services – including salons – and non-essential manufacturing will be required to remain closed.
Indiana Education Department Dismisses Federal CARES School Funding Guidance
The Indiana Department of Education is rejecting the latest guidance from Education Secretary Betsy DeVos about how to share emergency school funding with private schools, after it spurred pushback from education leaders at all levels.
The U.S. Department of Education’s directive on how schools should split K-12 CARES Act funds would reduce emergency funding available for low-income public schools, and increase the amount for private schools. It says districts should share the funding with local private schools based on total enrollment.
The state estimates that would make approximately $15.4 million accessible to private schools in Indiana.
In a memo this week, the state education department is telling school districts to ignore it and follow the language in the law. It means districts receiving emergency funding will share with private schools based on their number of low-income students instead of total enrollment.
Indiana Won’t Name Nursing Homes With COVID-19 Outbreaks
Marvin Miles got a call from his mother on March 27. She had started rehabilitation about a month earlier at Bethany Pointe Health Campus, a skilled nursing facility in Anderson, Indiana. They had spoken almost daily since then, but this call was concerning because it came at 1:35 a.m.
“She was complaining about she couldn't breathe, and she had been pressing the nurses’ button for over an hour and no one would come in there,” Miles says.
Miles says a nurse eventually came and gave 70-year-old Martha more oxygen. Miles and his wife worried that his mother could have pneumonia again. She had been hospitalized with that condition, and when she came home, fell twice. After another hospital stay, she was sent to Bethany Pointe for rehab. The plan was for her to stay for a few weeks, until she was strong enough to come home.
After the early morning call, Miles and his father tried to contact Martha again throughout the day.
"We couldn't get through,” Miles says. “Nobody would answer the phones. We would leave messages and they never would answer the phone. They never would return our phone calls.”
Miles’ frustrations are shared by other families in Indiana. States have created a patchwork of requirements for providing information about COVID-19 outbreaks. Some states tell the public where cases and deaths have occurred. Others, like Indiana, only report the total number of cases and deaths at these facilities, and leave more detailed notification to the companies.
Roseland Officials Concerned About How Motel 6 Isolation Facility Is Being Managed
The Town of Roseland is concerned with how the Motel 6 isolation facility is being managed. Roseland officials are calling on South Bend to make changes.
The motel is being leased by South Bend to provide a place for the homeless to isolate if they have symptoms of COVID-19.
Roseland officials are asking South Bend to increase security at the facility, conduct regular room checks, and require people to sign an agreement that they will stay at the facility until their COVID-19 test comes back negative or they are fully recovered.
Bob Masters, the attorney representing Roseland, says there’s been an issue with some motel guests leaving against the recommendations of health officials.
Contact Lauren at lchapman@wfyi.org or follow her on Twitter at @laurenechapman_.
This is a rapidly evolving story, and we are working hard to bring you the most up-to-date information. However, we recommend checking the websites of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the Indiana State Department of Health for the most recent numbers of COVID-19 cases.
