I had just completed production on this podcast when the Indiana State Department of Health announced novel coronavirus deaths in our state have exceeded 900.  I admit this podcast appears to be a bit of a downer at first, but sometimes pain and tragedy are what we need to collectively learn important lessons.

I know plenty of small business owners that would love a loan at 1% interest, paid over three years, with a six-month payment grace period on the front end….many Fishers commercial enterprises will have a shot at such a deal from the City of Fishers.  A new hotel is planned in Fishers and announced today.  Also, ever heard the phrase “contract tracing” and wondered what it means, exactly?  I cover those items and more in tonight’s Larry’s Log.

I wish better news was there to report on the novel coronavirus front, but the numbers continue rising.  Here are just a few.

As of Sunday, April 26, the state has reported 813 COVID-19 deaths.  In Hamilton County, health officials report 45 deaths, 27 of those in long-term care facilities.  13 people passing away from novel coronavirus had Fishers addresses.

Note that in Hamilton County, 27 of the 45 COVID-19 deaths happened in long-term care facilities.  However, the state of Indiana has refused to disclose where specific long-term care facilities are reporting COVID-19 issues.  The homes are now required to report this data to the state.

Tony Cook of the Indianapolis Star wrote an excellent piece posted to the IndyStar Web site on April 20th.  It centers on family members with loved ones in these facilities being left in the dark.  Here is some of Mr. Cook’s story:

“While some states are disclosing facility-specific information about the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths in nursing homes, Indiana is among those that refuse to identify individual facilities.

“That leaves residents and their families at the mercy of the nursing homes themselves, which are not required by law to provide the information. And while some facilities are providing routine updates, many are not, adding the fear of the unknown to an already terrifying situation.

“Some families even say the lack of information has compromised the safety of their loved ones.”

(Another reason to subscribe to the IndyStar and other local media)

So far, Governor Eric Holcomb has refused to direct his Indiana State Health Commissioner, Dr. Kristina Box, to release detailed information about which nursing homes are experiencing deaths and/or positive tests for COVID-19.  This has resulted in enraged family members venting on social media, demanding to know more about facilities housing their loved ones.

More locally, Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness is moving forward with his Fishers Recovery Plan, now that the Fishers City Council voted Friday morning to approve the establishment of a Fishers City Health Department, then also approved $2.5 million be taken from the city’s cash reserves and used to fund a COVID-19 testing program and local small business loans to help them get back on their feet once given the go-ahead to open again.

I expressed several comments on all this as part of my Larry’s Log daily commentaries (find them at this link).

I hate to be a downer, but if we expect to face this challenge, we need to be real.  This virus will be holding us back for a long time to come, short of some miracle treatment no one can envision at this time.

Axios.com founders Jim VandaHei and Mike Allen posted a story to their news Web site April 25th, laying out the likely grim near future.  They quote Bill Gates, Anthony Fauci, and CDC Director Rober Redfield.  They all say novel coronavirus restrictions will be with us for many months to come….possibly even longer.  Here is a passage from that Axios piece:

“Every big business and school in America is privately planning for the possibility of working and learning at home this fall. Schools have no choice but to contemplate the risks of kids picking up the virus in school, and infecting parents and grandparents at home. CEOs are having the same conversations about the workplace.”

Axios also says the real national unemployment rate is somewhere between 25% and 45%.  So, our unemployment rate in America could already exceed 25%, the highest jobless rate measured during the great depression, in 1933.

It will take a massive and coordinated effort to avoid what Axios just described.  That is a scary scenario.

In my view, that’s why Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness is moving quickly and aggressively to take care of the health and economy of those living and conducting business in his city.  The situation is serious.  Mayor Fadness, as I have said and written before, is going out on a big limb with his Fishers Recovery Plan.  Let’s see what happens next.

In talking with Delaware Township Trustee Debbie Driskell a few days ago, she said her work load has tripled in the past few weeks.  Fall Creek Township Trustee Doug Allman has not seen his township’s work load increase much lately, but his operation is distributing much more food from the food bank in the past two months.  Here is my podcast conversation with Doug Allman.

The weekly update on Fishers road construction for next week is available.  Here is the listing, as provided by the City of Fishers:

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With the city largely hunkered down during the COVID-19 pandemic, Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness wants his city prepared once the governor of Indiana slowly begins to open up commerce.  Fadness announced his plan to the public Thursday morning.  Here are my thoughts.

“Today is a conversation about an action-oriented, comprehensive plan that will allow our city to be in a strong position as (Governor Eric Holcomb )and (Indiana State Health Commissioner Dr. Kristina Box) make their decisions around recovery and reopening.  Our City of Fishers will be ready.”

That’s how Mayor Scott Fadness opened his Thursday morning news conference announcing a plan to have Fishers set and ready once state officials gradually allow the business community to open up.  The mayor says he will dip into the city’s cash reserves to finance an aggressive COVID-19 testing program, allowing businesses the opportunity to reopen and remain open by combining public health with the city’s economic health.

The testing program, projected to provide 200-300 tests per day, will be financed with about $2.5 million from  cash reserves.  The city will partner with Community Health and Mid-America Labs to conduct the tests.  Fadness expects the testing program to get underway late next week.

The mayor also plans to establish a city health department, using authority granted second-class cities, such as Fishers, under state statute.

The mayor will establish rapid-response teams for any business that, once open, deals with a COVID-19 outbreak.

Fishers plans to partner with the OneZone Chamber of Commerce to administer a $500,000  fund aimed at startup money for local business operations that have been shuttered.

Fadness envisions helping opening businesses with safe practices from health experts to provide confidence for business owners, employees and customers that the businesses are as safe as possible.

The mayor emphasized that at this time, it is critical to join public health and economic growth in dealing with the current challenges.

The city has established a new web site, FishersRecovery.com, with more details on the city’s plans.

(Editor’s Note:  Yes, I know I had announced the end of the local news blog.  But since meetings and news conferences and meetings are being held remotely, I do occasionally participate.  Plus, this is a very big announcement and believe all should know about this story)

In Indiana, township trustees are on the front lines of poor relief.  A township trustee just told me her office’s workload has tripled in the past few weeks, and she expects the worst is yet to come.  That and more in tonight’s Larry’s Log

In Indiana, poor relief is handled by the township trustees.  As the economic indicators point downward, the trustees often begin to see the impact first.  I spoke with Delaware Township Trustee Debbie Driskell about how he office has been impacted by the economic hit resulting from the COVID-19 crisis.

There were a number of novel coronavirus developments today.  Allow me to review just a few facts.