City of Elwood Declares Local Emergency
(photo courtesy of the city of Elwood)
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowElwood Mayor Todd Jones has declared a local emergency that includes shutting down the Municipal Building. Our partners at The Herald Bulletin report the decision was made to shut down for 14 days after two city employees tested positive for COVID-19.
Last week, the Madison County Health Department revealed Elwood Health and Living reported the first of 92 positive cases of COVID-19 among residents and staff. The city says all public meetings will take place via Zoom for the remainder of the emergency.
“Over the past few weeks, early voting and voting on Election Day has taken place in the Municipal Building, which meant several thousand were in and out of the building,” Jones said in a letter to residents and city staff.
The health department reported the spread of COVID-19 over the past week was enough to increase the level of emergency from yellow to orange based on the Indiana Department of Health’s color code.
According to Jones, neither of the employees had direct contact with voters in the building, but they did have close contact with other employees. According to The Herald Bulletin, employees who have not had close contact and are not under quarantine will continue to work either from home or by appointment from the office.
The closure marks the second time Jones has declared an emergency and limited access to the building because of the pandemic.