The Elkhart County Health Department has said it plans on cracking down to try and slow the spread of local COVID-19 cases.
A letter signed by leaders of the county, local cities and public safety agencies announced Friday they have urged the health department to issue a new public health order while cases from the coronavirus continue to mount.
While the order is still being developed, the letter previewed what’s to come by laying out which sectors of the county will be affected with requirements for measures that must be implemented.
The stated areas are businesses and entities; restaurants, bars and entertainment venues; school-sponsored events; and gatherings, meetings and events. The letter notes those environments are where transmission of the COVID-19 virus is occurring most.
The new order, according to the letter, is expected to provide “clear direction” on measures for those environments, including social distancing, the use of face masks, sanitation and occupancy limits. This will follow a countywide mask mandate that was already issued by the local health department on June 29.
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“The goal of the order will be to protect Elkhart County residents from infection and reduce the number of deaths in our county,” the letter stated. “It is important to note that we want to do this while keeping the economy open. This is a concern among all of us, and we want to avoid the negative impact we experienced earlier this year when the economy was shut down under the governor’s executive order.”
The announcement noted the county reached a total of 12,500 cases with 170 deaths. It also states local hospitals are struggling to treat the influx of new patients with expectations for more patients to seek emergency treatment in the coming weeks.
“The current trajectory we are on as a county is unacceptable,” the letter said.
