The Bartholomew County COVID-19 Task Force applauded the governor’s decision to create a Stage 4.5 with some restrictions remaining in place.

Local officials say that the best and most effective way to stop the spread of COVID-19 is to wear masks and keep socially distant. In Bartholomew County, the staff in restaurants and retail settings will continue to require to be masked. And all residents are urged to wear masks in public.

“The greater Columbus community has much to celebrate with regards to our successes with keeping the spread of COVID-19 manageable,” said Mayor Jim Lienhoop.

“It is that success and those little wins, which have even been recognized on a national level that should motivate us to stay the course and keep prudent. The virus is not gone. We must continue to follow these important safety measures.”

The COVID-19 Community Task Force is a partnership of the City of Columbus, Bartholomew County, Columbus Regional Health and area economic and education entities coordinating resources and communication efforts to address the Coronavirus pandemic.

>For more information on the Bartholomew County COVID-19 Community Task force go to  www.covid19communitytaskforce.org.

Governor Eric Holcomb has put the brakes on some portions of the Back On Track Indiana plan.

Under the original reopening plans, Stage 5 would have come this weekend, essentially reopening the state. But on Wednesday, the governor announced several restrictions will remain in place through at least July 17, under what the governor is calling Stage 4.5

Social gatherings will be limited to up to 250 people. That limits events where people are in close contact for extended periods of time, particularly indoors including wedding receptions and parties.

Restaurants may continue dining room service at up to 75 percent capacity. Bar seating in restaurants may continue operations at 50 percent capacity and bars and nightclubs can continue operations at 50 percent capacity. But they all mus adhere to social guidelines.

Other activities that may operate at 50 percent capacity include cultural, entertainment and tourism sites, movie theaters and bowling alleys, amusement parks and water parks and raceways.

However, as of July 4th fairs, festivals and other similar outdoor events may open, as well as youth overnight camps. Pari-mutuel horse racing and racing at county fairs may begin with 50 percent spectator capacity.

School extra-curricular can start up again on Monday, July 6th.

The governor says face coverings in public places are highly recommended and the elderly and those with high-risk health conditions should make sure to stay socially distanced and remain cautious.

North Vernon will be holding its 2020 Freedom Festival on the Fourth of July from 4 to 11 p.m. at the Jennings County Fairgrounds. The event will include food and fireworks.

Music will be held on the midway and entertainment will include Keith Swinney from 4 to 5:30 p.m., the Lloyd Wood Show and the Million Dollar Garage Band from 6 to 7:30 p.m. and Sounds of Summer from 8 to 10 p.m.

Organizers say that you should bring your lawn chairs and that the area is large enough for social distancing for the expected crowd. Activities were specifically chosen to allow for social distancing.

Free will donations will be accepted to go toward school supplies for the Jennings County Schools.

Governor Eric J. Holcomb today announced the state is putting the brakes on some portions of the Back On Track Indiana plan.

Restrictions that will stay in place through at least July 17 include:

• Social gatherings following the CDC’s social distancing guidelines will be limited to up to 250 people. This limit applies to wedding receptions, parties, and other events where people are in close physical contact for extended periods of time, particularly indoors.
• Dining room food service may continue operations at up to 75 percent capacity as long as social distancing is observed. Bar seating in restaurants may continue operations at 50 percent capacity. Bars and nightclubs may continue operations open at 50 percent capacity as long as they adhere to social distancing guidelines.
• Cultural, entertainment and tourism sites may continue operations open at 50 percent capacity.
• Movie theaters, bowling alleys and similar facilities may continue operations open at 50 percent capacity.
• Amusement parks, water parks and similar facilities may continue operations open at 50 percent capacity. Reservations are encouraged to limit the number of customers at any one time.
• Raceways may continue operations open at 50 percent grandstand capacity.

Some restrictions will lift as of July 4th, as originally outlined in the Back on Track plan, including:

• Fairs, festivals and other similar outdoor events may open.
• Pari-mutuel horse racing and county and state fair racing may begin with 50 percent spectator capacity.
• Youth overnight camps may open.
• Outdoor visitation is required at assisted living facilities and nursing homes beginning July 4 and indoor visitation may begin. Hospital visitations with precautions are encouraged.
• School extra-curricular, co-curricular activities may resume July 6.

“While most of our health indicators remain positive, our data indicates a need to be extra cautious, which is why we will pause much of our Back on Track roadmap,” Gov. Holcomb said. “I urge Hoosiers to maintain vigilance in social distancing and wearing masks so we can continue to reopen our state for business.”

The state will move to reopen while continuing to monitor and respond to four guiding principles:

• The number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients statewide has decreased for 14 days
• The state retains its surge capacity for critical care beds and ventilators
• The state retains its ability to test all Hoosiers who are COVID-19 symptomatic as well as health care workers, first responders, and frontline employees
• Health officials have systems in place to contact all individuals who test positive for COVID-19 and expand contact tracing

Hoosiers 65 and over and those with high-risk health conditions – who are the most vulnerable to the coronavirus – should adhere to social distancing guidelines and remain cautious. Face coverings in public places are highly recommended.

Ivy Tech Community College is planning to reopen its Columbus campus on Monday. That will be to assist students who are enrolling in for the fall semester.

Ivy Tech officials say that the the safety of faculty, staff, and students is its highest guiding principle. To that end, campus density should be managed; social distancing should be practiced; employees should be enabled to work remotely; and students will be served while utilizing social distancing and face coverings.

The campus will adhere to national health recommendations. There will also be added precautionary measures. Entry to the building will be restricted to the front doors of Poling Hall.

Ivy Tech will be limiting the number of employees on campus Monday. Additional Ivy Tech staff will be available virtually. Students will be able to talk with them either online or through computer kiosks on the campus.

Ivy Tech fall semesters will be 8-weeks long, staring on August 24th and October 26th. You can get more information at 888-IVY-LINE

Local officials will be meeting today to decide whether to move Bartholomew County forward on the governor’s back on track plan.

Mary Ferdon, director of administration and community development for the city of Columbus, says that the COVID-19 working group will include the county health officer, Columbus Regional Health and Bartholomew County government officials.

They are set to meet later this afternoon and will have an announcement ahead of the governor’s reopening date, tentatively set for Friday.

Governor Eric Holcomb is expected to announce the state’s plans at a press conference this afternoon.

Photo: Columbus Mayor Jim Lienhoop speaks at the March 13th COVID-19 press conference at Columbus City Hall.

The city of Columbus finds itself with too many holes of golf.

With golf courses being expensive to operate, city officials are taking a hard look at whether the current number of city-owned or city-operated golf courses are sustainable and what should be done to bring those numbers back to a more manageable number.

Mayor Jim Lienhoop says the problem really became apparent in January when Otter Creek fell back under city control. The course had been operated by a board of Cummins appointees for about 50 years, but at the start of the year, the course was turned over to city control.

The city is kicking off a public review of the golf situation, with an initial focus on Greenbelt Golf Course, the mayor said. There will be a public information session at 6 p.m. next Wednesday evening at The Commons to discuss proposed golf course changes.

There will be a limit to the number of people allowed in The Commons due to the pandemic, but the meeting will be streamed live so you can watch on the web.

You can listen to the whole interview with Columbus Mayor Jim Lienhoop here.

Greenbelt Golf Course

Rockyford Par 3 Golf Course

Otter Creek Golf Course

Indiana drivers will once again be paying penalty fees for expired driver’s licenses, permits, state identification cards, and vehicle registrations.

Administrative penalty fees were waived early in the COVID-19 public health emergency to aid Hoosiers and to support the state’s efforts to limit the spread of the virus. But that grace period has now ended, as of July 1st.

Walk-in services at BMV branches resumed on June 15. With the exception of driving skills exams, Hoosiers can again complete all transactions in a branch. Individuals who had a driving skill exam canceled due to the public health emergency will soon be contacted to reschedule. New appointments for driving skills exams should start again in late July.

Whenever possible, you are encouraged to complete your BMV transactions online through myBMV.com. You can also visit a BMV Connect kiosk, call the contact center, or return registration renewals through the mail using preprinted forms.

Jennings and Johnson counties have each added another death from COVID-19

According to the most recent update from the Indiana State Department of Health, there are 45,594 total confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Indiana, an increase of 312 cases since Monday’s update.

There have been 2,448 deaths in Indiana as of Tuesday afternoon’s update, an increase of 16 since Monday.

Bartholomew County has had 578 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 44 deaths.

In other area counties, Decatur County has had 243 cases and 32 deaths, Jennings 170 cases and 10 deaths, Jackson 454 cases and 3 deaths, Brown 38 cases and 1 death, Johnson 1,232 cases and 118 deaths, and Shelby 414 cases with 25 deaths.

Bartholomew County government is making plans for the upcoming budget crunch expected in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

County Auditor Pia O’Connor said yesterday during the County Commissioners meeting that things will begin getting tight next year, but in 2022 is when the real hit will be felt from the shrinking of income tax revenues statewide. The drop is estimated to be up to 15 percent.

Motor vehicle highway funds, which come from gasoline taxes, could fall as much as 18 percent under some estimates, O’Connor said.

O’Connor said county department heads budgets are due this week and they have been given the directive to keep their budgets flat for next year.

County Commissioner Larry Kleinhenz said Commissioners have taken some steps to put off some capital projects as a way to preserve cash, such as some details of the work at the Bartholomew County Courthouse.

County Council is also set to continue discussing the possibility of a hiring freeze for the county at its July 6th meeting, O’Connor said. A difficulty is that county officeholders who already have new positions approved for this year, can not be told those can’t be filled without amending the county salary ordinance. But council members have stressed that those new positions could be taken away in the upcoming budget process, meaning someone could be hired only to be let go after the start of the year.