INDIANAPOLIS — Wednesday's latest updates on the coronavirus pandemic.
Indy Eleven caps spectators at 2,500
The Indy Eleven announced today that they will now limit the crowd at Lucas Oil Stadium to 2,500 fans, like the Colts.
Fans with questions regarding their tickets are urged to reach out to their Eleven Ticket Dept. rep, email tickets@indyeleven.com or call 317-685-1100 before 5 p.m.
Gov. Holcomb provides weekly update
Governor Holcomb and health leaders give an update on the state's response to COVID-19.
It was noted during the briefing that Indiana still has more COVID-19 patients hospitalized now than in late June.
Gov. Holcomb repeatedly stated throughout the briefing that wearing a mask is working. He did not say whether the state's mask mandate will be extended beyond Sept. 25 but said he feels good about the direction the state is headed.
Dr. Box said that health leaders have been talking about how communities should go about celebrating Halloween and said that advice or guidance will be released as we get closer to late October.
ISDH daily update
The state is reporting 624 more cases of COVID-19 and 12 more deaths. There have been a total of 107,809 positive cases and 3,247 deaths in the state since the virus entered Indiana.
From Sept. 3 to Sept. 9, the positivity rate of all tests was 4.7 percent. For unique individuals, that rate was 6.8 percent. Both of those are lower than when compared to the rates since the start of the pandemic — 6.2 percent (for all tests) and 8.5 percent (for unique individuals).
As of Tuesday, 788 Hoosiers were hospitalized because of COVID-19.
Big Ten football to return in October
The Big Ten has announced that it will play football this fall after all.
The conference confirmed in a statement Wednesday morning that the Big Ten Council of Presidents and Chancellors voted unanimously to have the football season start the weekend of Oct. 23-24. It will be an eight-game season for each team.
The conference postponed its entire fall sports season on Aug. 11 because of COVID-19 concerns and how football could be played safely. The emergence of daily rapid-response COVID-19 testing, not available when university leaders decided to pull the plug on the season looms large.
As part of the conference's plan, the Big Ten will require all student-athletes, coaches, trainers and other individuals that are on the field for all practices and games to undergo daily coronavirus testing.
The conference said it has also adopted significant medical protocols including enhanced cardiac screening.
Mayor Hogsett announces third funding package for the City of Indianapolis
Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett announced Wednesday night that the City-County Council unanimously passed a third and final allocation of CARES Act COVID-19 Relief funding.
The $76 million allocation extends existing programs formed in response to the pandemic and funds the creation of several new initiatives for public health, social services and economic recovery.
To date, the City has appropriated over $92 million in CARES Act funding, including $20 million for contact tracing and expanded community testing, nearly $25 million for rental assistance, millions more for small business and nonprofit loans and grants, hundreds of thousands of free cloth face coverings for Indianapolis residents, food delivery and distribution programs and resources for those experiencing homelessness.
Latest US, world numbers
There have been more than 6.6 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 195,000 deaths and 2.49 million people recovered.
Worldwide, there have been 29.58 million confirmed cases with more than 935,000 deaths and 20.08 million recoveries.
The real number of people infected by the virus around the world is believed to be much higher — perhaps 10 times higher in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — given testing limitations and the many mild cases that have gone unreported or unrecognized.
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 like pneumonia, or death.
IPS to begin in-person learning in October
Indiana's largest school system is bringing tens of thousands of children back to their classrooms next month.
No one factor convinced IPS administrators to reopen schools, but the slowing spread of COVID-19 — in which the county's positivity rate has declined to 5 percent — was a major consideration, according to Superintendent Aleesia Johnson.
"It is not risk-free, but I do believe it is inherently more safe now because of our community spread had decreased," she said.
Here is the schedule for students returning to in-person classes:
- Pre-kindergarten through third-graders arrive Oct. 5.
- All students will return to class the week of Oct. 19.
- Sixth through 12th-graders will have a hybrid schedule. Students will be in class two days a week and learn online the other three.