“We continue, more now than ever, to strongly encourage everyone to take the necessary precautions to help us fight the spread of COVID-19,” reported Brian Ledley, communications director at PMH.

Here is the text of the joint statement:

Since moving to Stage 5 of Governor Holcomb’s “Back on Track” plan, Indiana has experienced a surge of COVID-19 cases across the state – repeatedly setting new daily records of cases since the beginning of October.

This surge has also been felt locally, with 30 new positive individuals in Pulaski County in the last week alone. This is affecting our community members, area businesses, and local schools.

As both the Governor and Indiana State Health Commissioner Dr. Kristina Box commented this past week, much of the spread is related to individuals who are unable or unwilling to take the necessary precautions to fight this virus’ spread. Social distancing and mask-wearing, along with good hand-hygiene, continue to be the best tools we have in fighting COVID-19. Although Stage 5 allowed many industries to return to normal business settings, the threat of COVID-19 remains. A major factor toward the surge of cases has been indoor, crowded spaces where people can gather, and the virus can easily spread.

These indoor gatherings have limited fresh airflow, which allows for the COVID-19 particles to linger in the air.

In instances such as these, we need to remain vigilant when we are around larger groups of people. We must be consistent with correct mask-wearing and social distancing.

“COVID fatigue”

Whether it is “COVID fatigue” or a desire to visit with family and friends, we have seen a complacency take root in our community and throughout the state. Our healthcare systems are again beginning to struggle with staffing and resources to care for COVID-19 patients and others dealing with health-related issues. This, we fear, will lead to an increase in deaths.

With flu season beginning, and much of the country still dealing with COVID-19, we must remain committed to each other and our community if we are to limit the effects of these viruses. We understand the desire to return to normalcy, but COVID-19 is unrelenting in its transmission.

Plans for the holidays

When it was decided not to recommend Trick-or-Treating this year, it was out of an abundance of caution – an attempt to limit unnecessary contact among community members. As we move further into the holiday season, we are calling on you to be cautious about your holiday plans. We wish for everyone to celebrate this joyous season with family and friends, but we must be mindful of the effects that indoor gatherings may have.

Begin to make appropriate plans for a physically distanced holiday season. We must be committed to finding creative ways to limit the pandemic’s resurgence. Consider a smaller gathering of family members that you share a household with, followed by a virtual get-together with your extended family members. Or, if you must meet, we ask that you commit to everyone in attendance wearing masks and physically distancing as much as possible.

Be vigilant

For those of you practicing appropriate behaviors to limit the spread of COVID-19, we thank you and ask you to remain vigilant by wearing masks correctly and consistently. If you’re experiencing COVID fatigue or are reluctant to follow health recommendations, we plead with you to begin practicing responsible social behaviors. The longer we all don’t observe the very simple guidelines of social distancing, wearing masks, and handwashing, the longer COVID-19 will continue to infect and kill too many Americans.

Signed,

Rex Allman, MD – Pulaski County Health Officer,

Daniel Anderson, MD – President of Pulaski Memorial Hospital Medical Staff,

Tom Barry, FACHE, Pulaski Memorial Hospital CEO.