U.S. jobless claims reach a pandemic low despite delta-caused slowdown
The ongoing drop in applications for unemployment aid—six declines in the past seven weeks—indicates that most companies are holding onto their workers despite the slowdown.
Local health leaders discuss COVID mitigation measures, but mask mandate not imminent
With COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths on the rise, public health leaders in Marion County are considering measures to reduce the spread of the virus—including a new mask mandate—but they say nothing has been decided yet.
COVID-19 patients strain Indiana hospitals as virus surges
State health officials have maintained that if more Hoosiers don’t get vaccinated and wear masks, virus spread and hospitalizations will worsen though at least early October. They’ve also attributed the recent surge, in part, to students’ return to schools.
Tech firms find remote work was easier to begin than end
Technology companies that led the charge into remote work as the pandemic unfurled are confronting a new challenge: how, when and even whether they should bring long-isolated employees back to offices that have been designed for teamwork.
Indiana Repertory Theatre to require COVID-19 vaccinations or testing for patrons
The IRT, which had previously decided to make masks mandatory for all patrons this season, said it’s decided to strengthen its COVID-19 protocols in light of the increase in cases.
Cummins delays return-to-office plans until early 2022
The engine maker confirmed Wednesday it is pushing its return-to-office timeline to early next year as COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations surge in Indiana and the nation.
Indiana reports 86 more COVID-19 deaths
Statewide hospitalizations due to COVID ticked down from 2,518 on Monday to 2,513 on Tuesday. That number is up from 1,109 a month ago and 418 two months ago.
IndyGo offering month of free rides to vaccination clinic participants
Participants will receive a 31-day IndyGo paper pass at the clinic immediately following their COVID-19 vaccination.
As experts debate boosters, some vaccinated people are calling their own shots
Booster confusion appears to have reached epidemic proportions amid a flood of new scientific studies that are not always consistent with one another. “Fully vaccinated” is suddenly a squishy concept.
Nearly a third of state’s intensive care unit beds full of COVID patients
The Indiana State Department of Health on Tuesday said statewide hospitalizations due to COVID-19 are continuing to soar, hitting their highest mark since early January.
Beech Grove to pay employees $50 to get COVID vaccinations
Beech Grove Mayor Dennis Buckley said “it is imperative all of us who are eligible get vaccinated to protect the health and safety of our community, particularly our children and our neighbors who are immunocompromised.”
Extra jobless benefits come to an end for about 8.9M Americans
Millions of jobless Americans lost their unemployment benefits on Monday, leaving only a handful of economic support programs for those who are still being hit financially by the year-and-a-half-old coronavirus pandemic.
U.S. booster plan faces complications, some might miss Sept. 20
President Joe Biden’s plans to start delivery of booster shots by Sept. 20 for most Americans who received the COVID-19 vaccines are facing new complications that could delay the availability of third doses for those who received the Moderna vaccine, administration officials said Friday.
Demand for COVID testing skyrockets as delta surges
People needing a COVID-19 test for travel, work or school are spending hours, sometimes days, looking for a place that can squeeze them in and turn around results quickly.
Q&A with Mary Kay Foster, who gets real with pathogens day in and day out
Foster, 58, is a registered nurse and program manager of the special pathogens unit at Indiana University Health, which is dealing with many facets of the pandemic, from vaccinations to keeping bedside workers safe.
Statewide hospitalizations due to COVID-19 climb past 2,400
Indiana reported another 20 deaths from the virus, raising the cumulative total to 14,121. The seven-day moving average of new deaths remained at 18 per day, the health department said.
U.S. hiring slows to unexpected low after two strong months
Even though hiring was relatively tepid in August, the unemployment rate dropped to 5.2%, from 5.4% in July.
Hotels throw in the towel on daily cleanings
Daily housekeeping was once a given. Since the onset of the pandemic, hotels of all sizes and price points have been scaling back this service to every few nights and allowing guests to determine the frequency of attention.
Companies loosen job requirements, but challenges remain
In a desperation for hired hands, companies have loosened hiring restrictions on everything from age to level of experience. The changing standards may have helped boost hiring this summer, even as many companies complained they couldn’t find all the workers they need.
U.S. hospitals hit with nurse staffing crisis amid COVID
The problem, health leaders say, is twofold: Nurses are quitting or retiring, exhausted or demoralized by the crisis. And many are leaving for lucrative temporary jobs with traveling-nurse agencies that can pay $5,000 or more a week.
Resources
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC Resources for Businesses and Employers OSHA Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for COVID-19 Indiana State Department of Health Indy Chamber Rapid Response Hub Small Business Administration The SBA is making low-interest loans for working capital available to Indiana small businesses. Indiana Unemployment Information Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Dashboard Critical Industries Hotline(for business and industry only)
877-820-0890
[email protected] State’s virus-related executive orders State plan to reopen Indiana