Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky said Monday that the nation was at “a fork in the road” in determining the trajectory of the coronavirus pandemic and warned of “another avoidable surge” of COVID-19 cases as states loosen pandemic-related restrictions. “The apparent leveling off of cases and hospital admissions after the consistent…
The first case of the more contagious B.1.1.7 COVID-19 variant has appeared in Elkhart County. According to the Elkhart County Health Department, the Indiana Department of Health Laboratory notified the county that the B.1.1.7 COVID-19 variant was collected over the weekend. The variant is from mutations that were first found in the United Kingdom. It…
President Joe Biden on Thursday signed an executive order requiring many interstate travelers to wear face coverings in order to help combat the coronavirus pandemic that has now claimed more than 413,000 U.S. lives. Part of his “100 Days Masking Challenge,” Thursday’s executive order followed another on Wednesday—the very first of Biden’s presidency—mandating masks on federal properties and directing federal agencies…
The following is a prepared statement from South Bend Mayor James Mueller. It is being published verbatim for the public record. Good morning. We got some more tests back and have some updates on action steps. Out of 126 test results through last night, we now have five positive cases in St. Joseph County, three…
Governor Eric Holcomb announced Monday that Indiana is closing bars and restaurants to dine-in service due to the coronavirus pandemic. The decision follows similar announcements out of Illinois and Ohio on Sunday. Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer also said on Monday morning that her state would close its restaurants and bars as well. It’s important to…
We aim to provide readers with the most accurate, relevant, and timely information on COVID-19. To that end, South Bend Voice is publishing the following information directly from the CDC. We also encourage you to visit the CDC’s website.
As with any emergency, there will be a minority who refuse to heed warnings from experts. However, it’s one thing to put your own well-being at risk. It’s another thing to put others at risk. Case in point: the COVID-19 pandemic has attracted a mixed response from citizens, government officials, and the media. Early on,…
The city of South Bend has announced a number of measures to mitigate the spread of coronavirus and protect city employees. The city said that it is limiting non-essential work travel, allowing remote work for some employees, and taking other precautions. “It’s important that we all take steps to protect the health and wellbeing of…
Ebola coverage has already been a circus for the past few weeks. Cable networks are frantically covering every angle of a story that is receiving far more attention than it deserves (compared to a very real and deadly crisis like obesity) — and far less critical scrutiny. CNN has gone so far as having their…
There is a lot of uncertainty about Ebola percolating across the country right now. Rather than the responsible coverage that we should expect from media organizations, much of it has been fear-driven with sensational headlines and graphics that are causing more confusion than answers. One thing that we keep seeing is comparisons between the Ebola…
