2020 coronavirus pandemic in Indiana
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The COVID-19 pandemic reached the U.S. state of Indiana on March 5, 2020, and was confirmed on March 6. As of July 12, 2021, the Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) had confirmed 757,904 cases in the state and 13,496 deaths. As of July 3, 2020, all 92 counties had reported at least 10 cases with Pike County being the last to surpass this threshold. As of July 12, 2021, approximately 2.91 million Hoosiers are fully vaccinated, or about 43.2 percent of the population.


Timeline


March 2020

On March 6, Indiana health officials announced the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in Indiana, and Governor Eric Holcomb declared a public health emergency in the state. The first case was a Marion County (
Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...
) resident who had attended the BioGen conference in Boston. On March 16, the first death from COVID-19 was announced. Governor Holcomb also ordered all bars, restaurants, and nightclubs to close to in-house patrons; only take-out would be permitted. On March 19, Governor Holcomb announced numerous actions in response to the pandemic. These included the following: * The State of Emergency was to be extended for another 30 days beyond its previously scheduled expiration of April 5. * All K-12 schools (both public and private) were to remain closed until at least May 1, and all state-mandated standardized tests were canceled. * An Executive Order prohibiting evictions and foreclosures was issued. Utilities were prohibited from disconnecting services. * Extensions for paying income taxes (to July 15) and property taxes (60 days beyond May 11) were granted. On March 20, Marion County had its second death, making three for the state. On March 21, the fourth death occurred in the state, in Muncie ( Delaware County). Three additional deaths occurred on March 22, one each in
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, Marion, and
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Counties. On March 23, Governor Holcomb issued a 'stay at home' order effective March 25 through April 7. He put the following restrictions in place: * Public gatherings were limited to 10 people * Non-essential businesses were ordered to close or allow for
remote work Remote work, also called work from home (WFH), work from anywhere, telework, remote job, mobile work, and distance work is an employment arrangement in which employees do not commute to a central place of work, such as an office building, ware ...
. Some examples of businesses closed included hair and nail salons, entertainment venues, theaters, and fitness centers. * Essential businesses included grocery stores, pharmacies, home improvement stores, auto repairs, medical providers, gas stations, pet care, trades, and professional services like accountants and law offices. * Penalties for violating the order could include a fine of up to $1,000 and 180 days in jail, though the Governor was vague about how enforcement would work and said police would not pull over motorists. Governor Holcomb issued additional executive orders closing many state government offices, extending state-issued licenses and permits 60 days, and giving the Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco commission the authority to suspend or revoke liquor licenses for establishments that were not complying with a previous directive to engage in carryout sales only. On March 26, eight residents and two staff members of a Johnson County, Indiana senior home tested positive for COVID-19. The spike in deaths on March 31 also includes some deaths from previous days. Reporting of those deaths had been delayed pending tests confirming COVID-19. For the month of March, Indiana had 123 deaths from COVID-19, all from the second half of the month, and 2,560 cases. Marion County had the most cases at 1,117, but cases were reported in 83 of Indiana's 92 counties. A total of 14,375 tests were conducted. Due to delays in receiving test results, March death totals were gradually revised upward in later months. The first deaths, two, were actually on March 9, and the total number of deaths in March was 214. (Each date's report is actually from the previous date ending at 11:59 pm.)


April 2020

On April 1, Marion County extended their stay-at-home order until May 1 and closed all golf courses (effective April 3). On April 2, Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction, Dr. Jennifer McCormick, announced that all K-12 schools would provide remote instruction for the remainder of the 2019–2020 school year. The new order also permitted them to conclude the school year once they had provided 20 days of remote learning after April 2 (meaning the school year could end as soon as May 1), even if school had not met for 160 days. On April 3, Governor Holcomb extended the stay-at-home order by two weeks, to April 20, and the state public health emergency by 30 days, to May 3. On April 12, cases were reported in all 92 of Indiana's counties. On April 17, Governor Holcomb announced that the stay-at home order would be extended on April 20 to May 1. On April 27, 65 positive cases had been confirmed at a nursing home in Clarksville.


May 2020

On May 1, Governor Holcomb announced a five-stage plan detailing the gradual reopening of business sectors in Indiana, with the final stage, completely reopening the state without restrictions, culminating on July 4. The previous statewide lock down was retroactively deemed Stage One. Stage Two began on May 4, with retail and commercial businesses operating at 50% capacity and mall common areas restricted to 25% capacity. A week after entering Stage 2, restaurants can open at 50% capacity for dine-in service and personal services can be performed by appointment only.
Remote work Remote work, also called work from home (WFH), work from anywhere, telework, remote job, mobile work, and distance work is an employment arrangement in which employees do not commute to a central place of work, such as an office building, ware ...
was encouraged where possible. Bars, gyms, entertainment events and venues such as zoos, concert halls, movie theaters, bowling alleys, amusement parks, playgrounds, adult day cares, casinos, community swimming pools and camps are not open during Stage 2. However, churches will reopen on May 8. Religious services were specifically exempted from the 25-person rule. Additional restrictions remained in place for the three hardest-hit counties: Cass County, Lake County, and Marion County. The continued progression of the plan is contingent on 4 guiding principles: *"The number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients statewide has decreased for 14 days." *"The state retains the ability to test all Hoosiers who are COVID-19 symptomatic, as well as healthcare workers, essential workers, first responders, and others as delineated on the ISDH website." *"The state retains its
surge capacity A medical surge occurs when "patient volumes challenge or exceed a hospital's servicing capacity"—often but not always tied to high volume of patients in a hospital's emergency room. Medical surges can occur after a mass casualty incident. In a po ...
for critical care beds and ventilators." *"Health officials have systems in place to contact all individuals who test positive for COVID-19 and complete contact tracing."


June 2020

On June 3, Governor Holcomb issued Executive Order 20–30, extending the public health disaster emergency declaration to July 4.


August 2020

Not long after public schools reopened (for the first time since March), one student and one school staff member tested positive for COVID-19. The student tested positive on the first day of class. The student was isolated in the school clinic under the "Positive COVID-19 Test Protocol". Nurses began contact tracing procedures. Under the protocol, close contacts are expected to quarantine for 14 days before they can return to school. Staff and students who test positive can return to school after a 10-day isolation period if they have been non-symptomatic for 72 hours. Between August 8 and August 25, the University of Notre Dame had a total of 408 confirmed positive cases. One of Notre Dame's student newspapers, ''The Observer'', published a front-page editorial titled, "Don't Make Us Write Obituaries". In-person classes for undergraduates were canceled for two weeks. Students were not sent home. On August 20, Purdue University suspended a cooperative house and 36 students for attending an off-campus party.


September 2020

On September 1, 30 out of 40 fraternities and sororities at Indiana University Bloomington were quarantined. The test positivity rate was 8.1% among students living in fraternity and sorority housing, and 1.63% among students living in residence halls. An outbreak of 14 cases was announced at Wabash College. The number of confirmed cases at Notre Dame was 577. On September 2, Notre Dame had put security personnel at its off-campus COVID-19 quarantine and isolation sites, because some students had been leaving their quarantine locations. Classes resumed at Notre Dame, with the goal of phasing in all classes for in-person instruction by September 7. Indiana University recommended that all 40 Greek life houses be closed.


January 2021

On January 11, a confirmed case of a new, more contagious SARS-CoV-2
variant Variant may refer to: In arts and entertainment * ''Variant'' (magazine), a former British cultural magazine * Variant cover, an issue of comic books with varying cover art * ''Variant'' (novel), a novel by Robison Wells * " The Variant", 2021 e ...
from the United Kingdom was reported in Indiana.


July 2021

As of July 29, Indiana's vaccination rate was only 44%, far short of the 70 to 85 percent needed to slow transmission. On July 20, US District Judge
Damon R. Leichty Damon Ray Leichty (born 1971) is a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Indiana. Education and career Leichty earned his Bachelor of Arts, ''summa cum laude'', from Wabash College, a Ma ...
upheld an Indiana University policy requiring that students receive COVID-19 vaccinations by August 15, if they wished to return to campus for the fall semester. The Delta variant accounted for 86.7% of positive tests in Indiana during July. Hospitals reported 33% of ICU beds and 78% of ventilators were available, compared with 41% ICU beds and 41% ventilators in April 2020.


August 2021

On August 12, Justice Amy Coney Barrett denied a challenge directed to her in regard to Indiana University's vaccine mandate, with no noted dissent from the other justices. This marked the first legal test of COVID-19 vaccine mandates before the
Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
.


Impact on sports


National Basketball Association

On March 12, the National Basketball Association announced the season would be suspended for 30 days, affecting the
Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were first esta ...
. On June 4, the NBA announced a preliminary plan to restart the season on July 31 with 22 teams, including the Pacers, playing all the remaining games at Walt Disney World Resort. Teams would also practice and be housed there for the remainder of the season.


Women's National Basketball Association

On June 15, the Women's National Basketball Association announced plans to start the delayed 2020 season in late July, playing a 22-game season followed by traditional playoffs at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. Under the plan, all WNBA teams (including the
Indiana Fever The Indiana Fever are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was founded before the 2000 season began. The team is owned ...
) would practice and be housed at IMG Academy for the entire season and would play all games without fans in attendance.


National Collegiate Athletic Association

On March 12, the National Collegiate Athletic Association, headquartered in Indianapolis, canceled all winter and spring tournaments, most notably the Division I men's and women's basketball tournaments, affecting colleges and universities statewide. The announcement came as men's basketball teams from Michigan and Rutgers were warming up on-court at Bankers Life Fieldhouse for the third game of the
Big Ten men's basketball tournament The Big Ten men's basketball tournament is held annually at the end of the men's college basketball regular season. The tournament has been played each year since 1998. The winner of the tournament is designated the Big Ten Tournament Champion, an ...
.


Auto racing

On March 26, the IndyCar Series announced that the
2020 Indianapolis 500 The 2020 Indianapolis 500 (branded as the 104th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge for sponsorship reasons) was a 500-mile (800 km, 200 lap) automobile race held on Sunday, August 23, 2020, at the Indianapolis Motor ...
would be held on August 24, 2020—marking the first time since the race resumed in 1946, after the conclusion of World War II, that it was not held on Memorial Day weekend. Indianapolis Motor Speedway's road course race, the GMR Grand Prix, was held on July 4, 2020, during the
NASCAR Cup Series The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR). The series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Division, and from 1950 to 1970 it was known as the Grand National Division. In 1971, ...
' Brickyard 400 race weekend, as part of a double-header with the
NASCAR Xfinity Series The NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) is a stock car racing series organized by NASCAR. It is promoted as NASCAR's second-tier circuit to the organization's top level Cup Series. NXS events are frequently held as a support race on the day prior to a ...
'
Pennzoil 150 The Pennzoil 150 is a NASCAR Xfinity Series auto race held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway since 2012. It takes place the Saturday of Kroger Super Weekend. This race replaced the Kroger 200, which had been held at the nearby Lucas Oil Rac ...
, all of them held behind closed doors. IndyCar had delayed the start of the 2020 season due to the pandemic. New IndyCar and IMS owner Roger Penske disclosed in June that he preferred the 500 to be run with spectators in attendance (in order to showcase renovations made to the facility after he took ownership), and that he would be open to postponing the event to October if it cannot be held with fans in August. On June 26, IndyCar announced that the 500 would be held in August with spectators, with capacity capped at half. On August 4, the IMS announced that the race will be held without spectators.


Indiana High School Athletic Association

On April 2, the Indiana High School Athletic Association announced the cancellation of all spring sports tournament series events for the 2019–20 school year. This decision ultimately ended the
Big Eight Conference The Big Eight Conference was a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)-affiliated Division I-A college athletic association that sponsored football. It was formed in January 1907 as the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Associatio ...
prematurely.


Impact on other events

On March 20, Governor Holcomb issued Executive Order 20–07, postponing the 2020 Indiana primary election, originally scheduled for May 5, to June 2. On May 19, Gen Con organizers cancelled the 2020 Gen Con, converting 2020 registrations into registrations for Gen Con 2021 on August 5–8, 2021. On June 4, the Indiana State Fair was cancelled, having originally been scheduled for August 7 to August 23.


See also

* Timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States *
COVID-19 pandemic in the United States The COVID-19 pandemic in the United States is a part of the COVID-19 pandemic, worldwide pandemic of COVID-19, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by SARS-CoV-2, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). In the Uni ...
– for impact on the country * COVID-19 pandemic – for impact on other countries *
COVID-19 at the University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame was founded on November 26, 1842, by Father Edward Sorin, CSC, who was also its first president, as an all-male institution on land donated by the Bishop of Vincennes. Today, many Holy Cross priests continue to work ...
– for impact on the University of Notre Dame, which is located in South Bend, Indiana


References


External links


Coronavirus information
from the State of Indiana {{Portal bar, COVID-19, Medicine, United States, Viruses Indiana COVID-19 pandemic COVID-19 pandemic Disasters in Indiana Health in Indiana