INDIANAPOLIS — There were several developments in the coronavirus pandemic that you may have missed overnight.
Here’s a look:
Today is a big day for restaurants and personal service businesses. They can start reopening—with restrictions—in some Indiana counties as part of “stage two” of getting the Hoosier state back on track.
Restaurants can only open to 50 percent capacity, bar seating must remain closed, and personal service businesses will have to be appointment only.
Employees at all these businesses will have to cover their faces, and work stations have to be far enough to meet social distancing guidelines.
Customers are also asked to wear masks.
We talked to some businesses in Hamilton County who told us they will check their employees temperatures every day, wear gloves, and sanitize everything throughout the day.
As a reminder, Marion, Monroe, Lake and Cass Counties are still under stay-at-home orders, so their businesses will not open today.
Also starting today, a $43 million per year statewide initiative will kick off in Indiana. The goal is to stop the spread of COVID-19 by monitoring who coronavirus patients have been near.
It’s called contact tracing.
Contact tracing allows health officials to figure out who might have been exposed to the virus.
Starting today, about 500 tracers will call people infected with COVID-19 to ask them who they have been around recently and where they have been.
They’re trying to figure out who could have been exposed to the virus to help flatten the curve.
Health officials say most infected people have been around at least 10 other people. Those connections will be told to quarantine for up to 14 days.
People will be contacted by text or email and told to reach out to the call center
State officials say you will never be asked for personal identification information like a bank account or social security number.
People who are contacted by the call center will have four hours to call them or else they will call you again.
Vice President Mike Pence will not self-quarantine after his press secretary tested positive for the coronavirus on Friday, and he plans to be at the White House on Monday, his office said.
President Donald Trump said on Friday that he has not come into contact with Pence’s press secretary, but noted she has been in contact with Pence.
Pence spokesperson Devin O’Malley said the vice president “will continue to follow the advice of the White House Medical Unit and is not in quarantine.”
“Additionally, Vice President Pence has tested negative every single day and plans to be at the White House tomorrow,” O’Malley said in the statement.
The official said Pence’s schedule will probably be on the lighter side in the coming days, but that he’s not doing a full self-quarantine.
We finally know when we will see the Blue Angels in Indianapolis.
The Blue Angels announced Sunday that they are planning a flyover in Indianapolis on Tuesday to salute essential workers.
The Blue Angels are also planning flyovers in Chicago and Detroit Tuesday.
Flyovers in Indianapolis will start at 2 p.m. eastern time and last roughly 11 minutes.
