Vanderburgh County Commissioners and the City of Evansville have declared a state of emergency in response to the ongoing coronavirus threat.
Immediate effects of the declaration include closing the Civic Center to the public, drastically reducing in-person activity in the court system and closing several city and county facilities:
- Old National Events Plaza
- Discovery Lodge at Burdette Park
- Old Courthouse
- Swonder Ice Rink
- Mesker Park Zoo
- Lloyd Pool
- Wesselman Woods Nature Center
Speaking to reporters on a video stream from the Civic Center, Evansville Mayor Lloyd Winnecke says he is on daily calls with local hospitals and health officials.
“Each hospital has a number of tests that are out to be examined. Not to speak on their behalf, but I think it’s safe to assume that the virus is in our community. I think it’s safe to assume that.”
The emergency declaration is only for a week, but officials say it’s likely that will be extended. County Commission President Jeff Hatfield says despite the restrictions, small businesses can continue to operate.
“There’s plenty of information out there from OSHA and IOSHA that tells us how we should do this and if we follow that as it specifically relates to this virus, we can continue to operate, we can conduct our business.”
Mayor Winnecke says they’re looking at some unusual ideas as well, including asking the Southwest Indiana Chamber of Commerce to compile and distribute a list of restaurants that serve take-out food.
