Indy Midtown Magazine has been posting regular updates about the state’s response to the public health emergency. This post archives all August 2020 updates. View updates from March 2020 or April 2020 or May 2020 or June 2020 or July 2020
August 31
Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) reports that 897 new cases were recorded for August 30. A total of 94,196 Hoosiers have tested presumptively positive for COVID-19 – a number that includes results from ISDH and results submitted by private laboratories. Approximately 1,431,368 tests have been administered. Additionally, ISDH notes that 3,077 Hoosiers have succumbed to the disease. Daily updates are posted to the ISDH COVID-19 online dashboard.
August 30
Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) reports that 880 new cases were recorded for August 29. A total of 93,313 Hoosiers have tested presumptively positive for COVID-19 – a number that includes results from ISDH and results submitted by private laboratories. Approximately 1,065,356 tests have been administered. Additionally, ISDH notes that 3,072 Hoosiers have succumbed to the disease. Daily updates are posted to the ISDH COVID-19 online dashboard.
August 28
Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) reports that 832 new cases were recorded for August 27. A total of 91,313 Hoosiers have tested presumptively positive for COVID-19 – a number that includes results from ISDH and results submitted by private laboratories. Approximately 1,044,049 tests have been administered. Additionally, ISDH notes that 3,058 Hoosiers have succumbed to the disease. Daily updates are posted to the ISDH COVID-19 online dashboard.
August 27
Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) reports that 1,164 new cases were recorded for August 26. A total of 90,504 Hoosiers have tested presumptively positive for COVID-19 – a number that includes results from ISDH and results submitted by private laboratories. Approximately 1,034,746 tests have been administered. Additionally, ISDH notes that 3,047 Hoosiers have succumbed to the disease. Daily updates are posted to the ISDH COVID-19 online dashboard.
August 26
The Hoosier Housing Needs Coalition is urging Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb to ensure a waitlist and additional resources are made available before closing the state’s COVID-19 Rental Assistance Program. The Coalition estimates that 200,000 additional Hoosiers are expected to need pandemic-related rental assistance than will be provided through resources that are currently available through state and local government programs.
The National Low Income Housing Coalition’s August 7 report The Eviction Crisis [PDF] paints a dire picture for the nation’s poor with an estimated 30-40 million people at risk of eviction. The report features an analysis of the U.S. Census Bureau’s Pulse Survey by The Aspen Institute Financial Security Program and the COVID-19 Eviction Defense Project. For Indiana, the analysis found that between 31% to 42% of renter households are at risk of eviction. Indiana renters with No or Slight Confidence in their ability to pay next month’s rent range from 569,000 to 720,000 people.
In a statement, Coalition member Jessica Love, executive director of Prosperity Indiana said, “The problem of evictions and housing instability isn’t going to disappear with the premature closure of the state’s rental assistance portal. A waiting list is the least the State of Indiana can do to demonstrate that it hasn’t turned its back on hundreds of thousands of Hoosiers who will continue to need emergency rental assistance as the impacts of the COVID-19 economic downturn continue to ramp up.”
In his weekly briefing, Governor Eric Holcomb announced that the state will remain in Stage 4.5 of the Back on Track plan and that the statewide mask mandate will continue an additional 30 days. Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) reports that 971 new cases were recorded for August 25. A total of 89,359 Hoosiers have tested presumptively positive for COVID-19 – a number that includes results from ISDH and results submitted by private laboratories. Approximately 1,022,537 tests have been administered. Additionally, ISDH notes that 3,041 Hoosiers have succumbed to the disease. Daily updates are posted to the ISDH COVID-19 online dashboard.
August 25
Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) reports that 841 new cases were recorded for August 24. A total of 88,421 Hoosiers have tested presumptively positive for COVID-19 – a number that includes results from ISDH and results submitted by private laboratories. Approximately 1,010,981 tests have been administered. Additionally, ISDH notes that 3,023 Hoosiers have succumbed to the disease. Daily updates are posted to the ISDH COVID-19 online dashboard.
August 24
Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) reports that 688 new cases were recorded for August 23. A total of 87,592 Hoosiers have tested presumptively positive for COVID-19 – a number that includes results from ISDH and results submitted by private laboratories. Approximately 1,002,038 tests have been administered. Additionally, ISDH notes that 3,008 Hoosiers have succumbed to the disease. Daily updates are posted to the ISDH COVID-19 online dashboard.
August 23
Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) reports that 618 new cases were recorded for August 22. A total of 85,932 Hoosiers have tested presumptively positive for COVID-19 – a number that includes results from ISDH and results submitted by private laboratories. Approximately 977,022 tests have been administered. Additionally, ISDH notes that 3,003 Hoosiers have succumbed to the disease. Daily updates are posted to the ISDH COVID-19 online dashboard.
August 22
Indiana death toll from COVID-19 now exceeds 3,000 as the Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) reports 3001 Hoosiers have succumbed to the disease. A total of 1010 new cases were recorded for August 21. A total of 85,317 Hoosiers have tested presumptively positive for COVID-19 – a number that includes results from ISDH and results submitted by private laboratories. Approximately 969,646 tests have been administered. Daily updates are posted to the ISDH COVID-19 online dashboard.
In six months, COVID-19 deaths have surpassed the number of deaths attributed to Alzheimer’s Disease annually based on ISDH’s most recent mortality report.
August 21
Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) reports that 1050 new cases were recorded for August 20. A total of 84,317 Hoosiers have tested presumptively positive for COVID-19 – a number that includes results from ISDH and results submitted by private laboratories. Approximately 958,432 tests have been administered. Additionally, ISDH notes that 2,992 Hoosiers have succumbed to the disease. Daily updates are posted to the ISDH COVID-19 online dashboard.
August 20
Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) reports that 955 new cases were recorded for August 19. A total of 83,277 Hoosiers have tested presumptively positive for COVID-19 – a number that includes results from ISDH and results submitted by private laboratories. Approximately 945,471 tests have been administered. Additionally, ISDH notes that 2,979 Hoosiers have succumbed to the disease. Daily updates are posted to the ISDH COVID-19 online dashboard.
August 19
Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) reports that 850 new cases were recorded for August 18. A total of 82,336 Hoosiers have tested presumptively positive for COVID-19 – a number that includes results from ISDH and results submitted by private laboratories. Approximately 934,033 tests have been administered. Additionally, ISDH notes that 2,968 Hoosiers have succumbed to the disease. Daily updates are posted to the ISDH COVID-19 online dashboard.
August 18
In a public address today, [PDF] Governor Eric Holcomb addressed the issue of equality and equity. “The coronavirus has underscored stubborn racial disparities that are still with us, fueled by decades of unequal opportunity and structural barriers like job discrimination and access to good educations and healthcare. People of color are dying of COVID-19 at twice the rate of whites and are more likely to have lost their jobs during this pandemic.”
He announced the establishment of a new cabinet-level position: Chief Equity, Inclusion and Opportunity Officer. The position reports directly to the Governor and will focus on improving equity, inclusion and opportunity across all state government operations, drive systemic change to remove hurdles in the government workplace and services, and help develop strategic plans to tactically remove all such barriers in state government.
The Governor also ordered a 3rd-party, top-down review of Indiana State Police and law enforcement academy curriculum and look at use of force, de-escalation, and implicit bias training.
Governor Holcomb said he has directed the State of Indiana’s Management Performance Hub to create a Public Disparity Data Portal to track and share up-to-date information on:
- Pre-K enrollment
- Graduation, college enrollment and employment rates
- Access to capital
- Healthy Indiana Plan enrollment and other health indicators like substance abuse resources, and smoking, diabetes and hypertension rates
- Foster care placement rates
- Incarceration and recidivism rates
Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) reports that 850 new cases were recorded for August 17. A total of 81,847 Hoosiers have tested presumptively positive for COVID-19 – a number that includes results from ISDH and results submitted by private laboratories. Approximately 928,614 tests have been administered. Additionally, ISDH notes that 2,954 Hoosiers have succumbed to the disease. Daily updates are posted to the ISDH COVID-19 online dashboard.
August 12
In his weekly COVID-19 briefing, Governor Eric Holcomb declined to extend his eviction and foreclosure moratoria that expire August 14, “We have options in place,” he said citing a $40 million rental assistance program (that excludes Marion County.) He also declined to expand no-excuse absentee voting for the November election.
Holcomb also reported that he has met with leaders from the Indiana General Assembly to address school funding which is based on the number of students physically in attendance. According to the Indiana Department of Education’s (IDOE) Digest of Public School Finance in Indiana, [PDF] this number is referred to as the average daily membership (ADM). It is a count of students enrolled and expected to be in attendance on a particular day at kindergarten through Grade 12 in Indiana public schools (which includes charters.) A State Board of Education’s (SBOE) rule dictates that the “fall” count is taken annually on the second Friday after Labor Day. This provides basic grant funding for the first six months of the fiscal year. In February, a second ADM count – the “spring” count – occurs on a date established by the SBOE and is used to calculate basic grant funding for the second six month period of the fiscal year.
Last week, Indiana Senate President Pro Tempore Rodric Bray (R-Martinsville) generated statewide concern when he sent an open letter to Indiana school leaders saying that based on his reading of state statute, public schools across the state could face funding cuts if they choose an all-virtual mode of instruction for the 2020-2021 school year. (see August 7 update.)
Today, the Governor said he had met with Sen. Bray and other legislative leaders who agree that the Indiana General Assembly included language in school funding legislation that would address the situation. “The State Board of Education could convene and address moving the counting date back for various reasons – extreme patterns of immigration, illness or natural disaster,” he said. He plans to ask the SBOE to meet and move the ADM date into December in order to lock in 100% funding. Holcomb said that would allow the entire General Assembly to discuss the matter in January.
In other news, the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC) declined to extend its prohibition on utility service disconnections beyond August 14. [PDF] However, the IURC excluded “the collection of late fees, deposits, and disconnection/reconnection fees for an additional 60 days to prevent injury to residential ratepayers as the prohibition on utility disconnection expires.”
Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) reports that 671 new cases were recorded for August 11. A total of 76,522 Hoosiers have tested presumptively positive for COVID-19 – a number that includes results from ISDH and results submitted by private laboratories. Approximately 866,994 tests have been administered. Additionally, ISDH notes that 2,878 Hoosiers have succumbed to the disease. Daily updates are posted to the ISDH COVID-19 online dashboard.
August 11
Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) reports that 884 new cases were recorded for August 10. A total of 75,862 Hoosiers have tested presumptively positive for COVID-19 – a number that includes results from ISDH and results submitted by private laboratories. Approximately 861,655 tests have been administered. Additionally, ISDH notes that 2,863 Hoosiers have succumbed to the disease. Daily updates are posted to the ISDH COVID-19 online dashboard.
August 10
According to today’s Situation Report by the Marion County Health Department Indiana’s 7-day average of newly confirmed cases rose to 941 cases and for the first time, Indiana had over 1,000 newly diagnosed cases four days in a row. Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) reports that 673 new cases were recorded for August 9. A total of 74,992 Hoosiers have tested presumptively positive for COVID-19 – a number that includes results from ISDH and results submitted by private laboratories. Approximately 852,111 tests have been administered. Additionally, ISDH notes that 2,838 Hoosiers have succumbed to the disease. Daily updates are posted to the ISDH COVID-19 online dashboard.
August 7
On a day when Indiana’s total number of positive cases hit an all-time record high, Indiana Senate President Pro Tempore Rodric Bray (R-Martinsville) sent an open letter to Indiana school leaders warning that public schools across the state could face funding cuts if they choose an all-virtual mode of instruction for the 2020-2021 school year. Governor Eric Holcomb issued a statement that read in part, “I am committed to providing 100% funding to schools as they navigate the unprecedented challenges of opening the academic year during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) reports that 1,251 new cases were recorded for August 6 – the highest tally since the pandemic began in March. A total of 73,254 Hoosiers have tested presumptively positive for COVID-19 – a number that includes results from ISDH and results submitted by private laboratories. Approximately 817,704 tests have been administered. Additionally, ISDH notes that 2,821 Hoosiers have succumbed to the disease. Daily updates are posted to the ISDH COVID-19 online dashboard.
August 6
Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) reports that 1,051 new cases were recorded for August 5. A total of 71,015 Hoosiers have tested presumptively positive for COVID-19 – a number that includes results from ISDH and results submitted by private laboratories. Approximately 804,345 tests have been administered. Additionally, ISDH notes that 2,811 Hoosiers have succumbed to the disease. Daily updates are posted to the ISDH COVID-19 online dashboard.
August 5
Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) reports that 740 new cases were recorded for August 4. A total of 69,975 Hoosiers have tested presumptively positive for COVID-19 – a number that includes results from ISDH and results submitted by private laboratories. Approximately 792,225 tests have been administered. Additionally, ISDH notes that 2,805 Hoosiers have succumbed to the disease. Daily updates are posted to the ISDH COVID-19 online dashboard.
August 4
In a stark reminder of the pandemic’s severity, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway today released a statement, “It is with great regret that we announce the 104th Running of the Indianapolis 500 will take place on Aug. 23 without fans. This tough decision was made following careful consideration and extensive consultation with state and city leadership.” The Indianapolis Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) reports that 836 new cases were recorded August 3. A total of 69,255 Hoosiers have tested presumptively positive for COVID-19 – a number that includes results from ISDH and results submitted by private laboratories. Approximately 785,018 tests have been administered. Additionally, ISDH notes that 2,794 Hoosiers have succumbed to the disease. Daily updates are posted to the ISDH COVID-19 online dashboard.
August 3
Governor Eric Holcomb’s public health emergency order was originally scheduled to expire today, but in light of an increase in the number of positive cases, it has been extended to September 3, 2020. [PDF] Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) reports that 582 new cases were recorded August 2. A total of 68,433 Hoosiers have tested presumptively positive for COVID-19 – a number that includes results from ISDH and results submitted by private laboratories. Approximately 775,482 tests have been administered. Additionally, ISDH notes that 2,780 Hoosiers have succumbed to the disease. Daily updates are posted to the ISDH COVID-19 online dashboard.
August 1
Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) reports that 989 new cases were recorded for July 31. A total of 67,122 Hoosiers have tested presumptively positive for COVID-19 – a number that includes results from ISDH and results submitted by private laboratories. Approximately 758,606 tests have been administered. Additionally, ISDH notes that 2,771 Hoosiers have succumbed to the disease. Daily updates are posted to the ISDH COVID-19 online dashboard.
