INDIANAPOLIS — Wednesday's latest updates on the coronavirus pandemic.
State update on response
Gov. Holcomb and state leaders provided an update on the response to COVID-19.
Funding for schools
The state is pumping $61 million into school districts across the state to help with connectivity and remote learning. That includes helping with WiFi and cellular access, tablets and laptops. The money will help benefit 670,000 students at 1,366 public schools, 64 charter schools and 124 non-public schools.
- 68,689 student devices
- 2,855 teacher devices
- Internet access to those households in need
The state has also sent out supplies of masks and hand sanitizer to schools.
The state is using a little more than $11 million to help colleges and universities with establishing remote learning.
Tracking cases in schools
The state is working on a portal on student and staff cases at Indiana schools to track and monitor COVID-19 cases. The state is still waiting on rosters from some schools to help them better track any potential contacts with someone who is positive.
ISDH update
The state reports 10,037 Hoosier have been hospitalized due to COVID-19. The state reports 7,625 or 76 percent of those patients have been discharged. Around 6 percent of patients are still hospitalized and 18 percent have died. Indiana has had 2,968 deaths.
Cinemark Greenwood opening Aug. 25
Cinemark's Greenwood Corner location will reopen to the public Aug. 25. The theaters will reopen in time for anticipated releases like "Unhinged," "The New Mutants and The Personal History of David Copperfield" and "Tenet."
Cinemark is also rolling out a special offer for guests to watch "Comeback Classic" films with tickets for just $5 for adults and $3 for children and seniors. In another offer, guests can book private auditoriums for $99 for up to 20 guests. Some tickets are already on sale at cinemark.com.
The company is taking additional steps for health and safety for its reopening. Some of the changes include staggered showing times, required face masks and daily disinfection of auditoriums. To see all the details of "the Cinemark Standard," click here.
ISDH gives updated numbers on coronavirus in the state
Indiana State Department of Health reported on Wednesday that there are 506 new cases of COVID-19, totaling more than 82,000 cases.
There were also 14 more deaths reported. Nearly 3,000 people have died from the virus.
The positivity rate in Indiana has been around 7.7 percent in the last week and 8.8 percent since the start of the pandemic.
Mayor Hogsett to announce funding initiatives from Downtown Recovery Committee
Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett is set to announce funding for the City of Indianapolis for initiatives developed by the Downtown Recovery Committee.
Hogsett will be joined by Downtown Indy, Inc. President Sherry Seiwert to reveal the first announced component of a comprehensive plan to address the immediate economic, public health and public safety challenges facing the downtown core.
The press conference is scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 19 at 11 a.m. at the Indiana Convention Center.
University of Notre Dame begins 2 weeks of virtual classes Wednesday
University of Notre Dame's president announced Tuesday that in-person classes are suspended, effective Wednesday. The university will move to remote instruction for the next two weeks because positive rates for the coronavirus continue to climb on campus.
Since Aug. 3, the university has tested more than 900 students. On Friday, there were 49 confirmed cases, but that tripled to 147 by Monday.
The University also announced the following measures:
- Until further notice, off-campus students should not visit campus. On-campus students should refrain from leaving campus except under emergency circumstances.
- Student gatherings off or on campus are restricted to 10 people or fewer.
- All research laboratories, core facilities and libraries remain open to graduate students, faculty and staff.
- The COVID-19 Response Unit, the University Testing Center and Notre Dame’s quarantine and isolation facilities will remain fully operational.
- All students, faculty and staff are reminded to complete their daily health checks.
- Varsity athletic teams that are subject to routine surveillance testing may continue to gather for sanctioned activities according to established protocols and will be closely monitored.
Latest US, world numbers
There have been 5.48 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. as of 3:30 a.m. ET Wednesday, according to Johns Hopkins University. There have been more than 171,000 deaths and 1.89 million people recovered.
Worldwide, there have been 22.14 million confirmed cases with more than 781,000 deaths and 14.12 million recoveries.
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.