Businesses re-opening amid COVID-19 case increase

Businesses re-opening amid COVID-19 case increase

Bringing mixed feelings for people as some businesses begin reopening.

Starting monday, several greater lafayette restaurants have opened at 50- percent capacity.

Now we're getting reaction from local doctors too.

News 18's micah upshaw joins us in downtown lafayette to tell us more.

Micah?

Yes, several businesses have re- opened.

But some look at it like a double-edged sword.

On one-side re- opening right now is how some owners plan to save their business.

On the other-side covid-19 cases are still rapidly rising.

One thing both business owners and hospital leaders agree on is that safety has to be at the forefront.

M: like many greater lafayette businesses, professor joe's sports pub and pizzeria was hit hard with the effects of having to close so abruptly.

J: had to basically re- invent our business on the fly, create a carry- out and delivery service and there was a learning curve.

M: when governor eric holcomb announced businesses could re-open at 50- percent capacity -- owner joseph (when- ig) wenig, joined a number owners making sure they'd be ready to reopen safely.

J: of course, there's a lot of uncertainty and even anxiety about what if someone on my staff gets sick, what if one of my customers gets sick, what if someone who is sick comes into the business.

I've really relied on the people who are in charge of making the decisions.

M: in addition to following the state and local regulations, restaurants are coming up with their own unique ways to make sure staff and customers are safe.

But hospital leaders are still expecting a surge.

D: this disease is kind of going to be like a roller coaster.

So we've seen that here, we've seen surges in volumes and a little bit of a drop but it hasn't gone away.

M: dan neufelder, i-u health arnett's west central president says it's important people continue being cautious as society re- opens.

D: treat any guidelines as being the minimum standards and then adjust based upon your own situation and the situation of your family.

M: iu health arnett's chief nurse brian (why-rick) weirich says the hospital is ready for whatever's to come.

B: we monitor those numbers everyday, and we're always trying to stay ahead of what we anticipate to see as far as supplies, our staffing and our capacity with the critical care and the non-critical care beds.

The state government, both mayor's offices, the tippecanoe county health department and the indiana restaurant and lodging association have all created strict guidelines for restaurants to follow during this time.

Reporting live in downtown lafayette, micah upshaw.

News 18.

The number of unemployment claims in indiana are decreasing.

Today at governor