(INDIANAPOLIS) – Restaurants and bars will be limited to carry-out and delivery service as Governor Holcomb ramps up measures against coronavirus.
For now, the ban on sit-down dining is in effect through the end of March. The State Museum and historic sites are also closing.
Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett is going farther, closing gyms and movie theaters no later than Tuesday morning, and banning gatherings of more than 50 people. Holcomb’s order recommends keeping gatherings below that size.
The Indianapolis order runs for a week, but Hogsett says he’ll ask the City-County Council Monday night to extend it through April 5.
Hogsett has declared a local state of emergency, and issued a travel advisory, urging people to avoid all but essential travel, such as to and from work or the grocery store.
There’s still no statewide order to close schools. All but 16 school districts have closed on their own. Holcomb says the Department of Education is working with the holdouts to determine their next steps.
Holcomb is urging hospitals to cancel elective surgeries for the time being, to make sure as many beds as possible are available if needed for pandemic victims. Some hospitals, including St. Vincent in Indianapolis, have already announced that step. State employees are being asked to work remotely wherever possible.
The Department of Workforce Development is suspending the requirement that people go to WorkOne offices in person to remain eligible for unemployment benefits. And the state has postponed the inaugural Indiana Global Economic Summit, originally scheduled for April 26-28.
