Gary Mayor Prince Updates Covid-19 Restrictions In The City
Gary Mayor Jerome A. Prince today announced the next steps in the City of Gary’s fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. The Mayor’s orders will align with Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb’s statewide pandemic response campaign.
As of Thursday, Nov. 12, the City of Gary has seen 35 consecutive days with new COVID-19 infections in double-digits, with eight of those days recording more than 30 new cases. The seven-day moving average for Gary, a key index of the spread of the virus, has been 39 cases per day.
“Our first priority is to protect our residents and our visitors, and our numbers of new COVID-19 cases have been very disturbing,” Mayor Prince said. “From the very beginning, we’ve known the COVID-19 pandemic would be unpredictable. We have to remain vigilant and do what’s necessary to protect our community”
In its COVID-19 response, the State of Indiana has categorized Lake County with the color orange, which is used for counties demonstrating the second-highest disease rates in the State.
Effective Monday, Nov. 16, and until further notice, the following restrictions will begin in the City of Gary:
• All gatherings, including all houses of worship, must be limited to no more than 50 people per gathering. Those attendees must follow federal social distancing guidelines. To hold larger gatherings, event sponsors must have a COVID-19 safety plan approved by the City of Gary Health Department.
• All bars and nightclubs must restrict attendance to 50% of their occupancy rates, and they must close by midnight daily. All employees of those businesses must wear face coverings while on the premises.
• All retail shops and restaurants will be limited to 75% occupancy, with all employees of those businesses required to wear face coverings on the premises.
• Sponsors of community sporting events and other activities must limit spectator capacity to 25% of the venues’ total occupancy.
Mayor Prince said his administration will continue to closely monitor the COVID-19 pandemic in Gary to determine the next steps to protect public safety.
