Members of the local COVID-19 Task Force announced a series of decisions and recommendations designed to be proactive in responding early to the continually evolving coronavirus pandemic, in an effort to avoid and learn from the pitfalls other communities have experienced.
Members of the task force outlined recommendations at a press conference Friday afternoon that essentially will shut down most, if not all, of the large public gathering places in Columbus, in the hopes that social distancing will help prevent spread of the virus to and throughout Bartholomew County.
There have been no confirmed cases of the virus in Bartholomew County as of Friday, although Columbus Regional Hospital officials confirmed that two people have been tested after screening protocols indicated the possibility of them being exposed. A CRH ambulance transported a patient identified under the screening protocols from CRH’s Prompt Med Friday morning to the hospital for testing.
As the virus continues to spread across the United States, the local task force said that under the direction of Dr. Brian Niedbalski, Bartholomew County Health Director at Columbus Regional Health, the group will continue to respond quickly to any emerging situation.
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“This is a proactive measure to act early and assertively in an effort to reduce not only the number of potential cases of COVID-19 our community sees, but to also significantly reduce the flow and mitigate as much as possible a swell of cases occurring in our area,” the task force news release states.
This includes Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp., currently on spring break, suspending all school-related activities beginning Monday, which includes all athletic practices. All BCSC schools will be closed with eLearning days being used from March 23 to April 3. Students were asked to take their laptops home when they left for spring break.
In a press release after the press conference, Flat Rock-Hawcreek School Corp. Superintendent Shawn Price said at the completion of the corporation’s spring break, which starts March 16, the Flat Rock-Hawcreek campus will remain closed to students on March 23 and March 24 as teachers prepare for extended e-learning days.
Students will receive instruction from home through the e-learning platform from March 25 to April 5. All spring athletic practices and events will also be canceled until students return on April 6. Flat Rock-Hawcreek is providing additional information on the district’s web page by March 18. This information will include a plan for iPad distribution for those that do not currently have access to their devices, Price said.
Using local expertise
Columbus Mayor Jim Lienhoop, looking to his left and right to the task force members, noted that Columbus is really fortunate to have so much expertise to work with in Columbus, including experts in the medical, educational and business fields.
The task force met Friday morning and from that meeting came a series of decisions about recommendations for the community, as it continues to navigate the continuing changes being experienced by the state and nation in response to the COVID-19 crisis.
Lienhoop noted that task force members wanted to learn from the experiences of Washington state, an early hotspot for the virus, and for the Columbus community to try and do things that Washington wished it had done three to four weeks before the crisis.
For the city, Columbus City Hall will remain open, and regularly scheduled public meetings will continue. However, Lienhoop encouraged community residents to watch the live-stream of the meetings on the city’s web page as a precaution, although they are always welcome to attend in person if they wish.
The city will close the Cal Brand Meeting Room on the first floor, which is available for rental by community groups, until April 6, Lienhoop said.
The city’s largest gathering places, including The Commons, Donner Center, Hamilton Community Center and Ice Arena, and Columbus Gymnastics Center, and parks facilities including the parks operations service center, Lincoln Park softball diamonds, Clifty Park softball and baseball diamonds and Blackwell Park soccer fields will also all closed until April 6.
Non-essential gatherings should be limited to no more than 250 people, per Gov. Eric Holcomb’s announcement, according to the task force. Faith-based communities are recommended to suspend all in-person services and large group gatherings through April 4.
Columbus Regional Hospital has received an increasing number of calls regarding COVID-19, and in response, has set up a COVID-19 Resource Call Center at 812-379-4449. Patients who are concerned they might have the virus are asked to call that number before seeking medical attention.
Those who call the resource line will receive direction from a trained CRH staff member who can give the best advice on the proper care, said Jim Bickel, CRH president and CEO. Anyone having a medical emergency should call 911.
The hospital system has in place visitor restrictions in which people entering the hospital are screened at two entrances, for the safety of patients and doctors and staff, Bickel said.
Recommendations
Niedbalski asked that local residents avoid large gatherings and practice social distancing by staying about 6 feet away from others when out in public. Chairs for the press conference were separated by a distance at City Hall on Friday.
Niedbalski said the virus is spread largely through respiratory droplets that are released into the air through coughing or that land on surfaces that are then touched by others.
He also recommended good hygiene practices including washing hands before and after eating and wiping down all surfaces that others may have touched. Surfaces that are commonly touched by many people, such as door handles, should be disinfected.
BCSC is also thinking about the well-being of its students and employees, said Superintendent Jim Roberts. While the school corporation is looking to return on April 6, Roberts said that Holcomb has given school corporations a 20-day waiver on attendance. With 50 days left in the school year, that provides some latitude, he said.
Roberts said an announcement will be made about sites where students who do not have access to internet may go in order to participate in eLearning. Social distance recommendations would be followed at those sites, he said.
Also, provisions are being made to provide meals to students during the extended school break, with details being released on that soon. About half of the BCSC student population currently qualifies for free and reduced lunch.
BCSC is also looking at ways to help hourly employees maintain their income during the school shutdown, which might include help with the meal sites or delivery or helping with the eLearning sites.
The task force is also recommending that child care and adult day care facilities should institute social distancing and minimize large gatherings.
For those downplaying the seriousness of the COVID-19 pandemic, Niedbalski said the virus has the potential to cause serious illness and is potentially more deadly than influenza, particularly for people who are older than 60 and those who have underlying health conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes or chronic respiratory disease.
The task force is recommending that these individuals limit their public outings and whenever possible, friends and family should arrange to provide food and other essential items.
At the state level
At the state level, the number of Hoosiers who have tested positive for COVID-19 remains unchanged at 12, as announced Friday by the Indiana State Department of Health. This number reflects tests performed at ISDH, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and those submitted by private laboratories.
The individuals with positive tests reside in Marion, St. Joseph, Hendricks, Adams, Boone, Howard, Johnson and Noble counties. All but one are adults.
ISDH continues to work with local health departments to identify close contacts of the existing patients and ensure that infection-control protocols, such as self-isolation and monitoring for symptoms, are implemented.
In other developments:
The ISDH lab has received additional testing supplies from the CDC and continues to prioritize individuals who are at high risk.
Individuals who do not meet those criteria are encouraged to consult their healthcare provider about private testing. Most people with COVID-19 will develop mild symptoms and do not need to be tested.
The ISDH call center is experiencing extremely high call volume, receiving more than 1,000 calls from 8 a.m. Thursday to 8 a.m. Friday.
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Visit www.crh.org/news/2020/03/12/coronavirus-update-what-you-need-to-know to learn more about Columbus Regional Health’s COVID-19 Triage Resource Call Center.
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Anyone with concerns about symptoms of COVID-19 or exposure should contact the COVID-19 Resource Call Center at 8120379-4449 BEFORE seeking medical attending. Anyone experiencing a medical emergency should call 911.
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Websites with more information
- Indiana State Department of Health: in.gov/isdh/28470.htm
- Columbus Regional Health: crh.org/news
- Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp.: bcscschools.org/COVID19
- City of Columbus: columbus.in.gov/covid-19-information/
- Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives: resources.acce.org/crisismanagement
- CDC: cdc.gov/handwashing/whenhow-handwashing.html
- https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/esp/index.html
- ISDH Online COVID-19 Case Tracker: in.gov/isdh/28470.htm
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