Indianapolis Business Journal
Number of confirmed cases in state rises to 39
The Indiana State Department of Health on Wednesday said the number of presumptive positive cases for COVID-19 in the state has risen to 39 after the emergence of nine more cases.
The death toll in the state remained at two.
Two more cases were diagnosed in Marion County, bringing the total to nine.
Two cases were reported in Hamilton County. The city of Noblesville issued a written statement Wednesday morning announcing the city’s first case, but then retracted it a short time later.
Other area counties with cases are Hendricks (4), Johnson (3), Boone (1) and Madison (1).
The health department is providing case updates daily at 10 a.m. based on results received through midnight.
The department said it had tested 193 Hoosiers for the virus, up from 159 the previous day.
Health officials say Indiana has far more coronavirus cases — possibly thousands more — than those indicated by the limited number of tests.
Cases have been confirmed in 19 Indiana counties so far.
As of Wednesday morning, 6,519 cases had been reported in the United States with 115 deaths, according to a running tally maintained by health researchers at Johns Hopkins University & Medicine.
More than 204,200 cases have been reported globally with 8,246 deaths.
Grocers go on hiring spree to meet outbreak demand
While many businesses will be forced to make cutbacks to survive the COVID-19 outbreak, major players in the grocery industry are ramping up hiring to keep up with a period of major demand on the food-supply chain.
Kroger Co., the nation’s largest grocer, on Tuesday said it had immediate openings in a number of areas, including in stores as cashiers and pickup members or in manufacturing plants and distribution centers.
“The positions may be perfect for people whose current jobs have been suspended by the coronavirus crisis,” Kroger said. “Every role will help us keep our stores stocked with fresh, affordable food and other essentials.”
Regional grocer Meijer on Tuesday also said it was hiring seasonal workers to meet demand. Walmart and Costco also are among those hiring.
Purdue calls off
commencement ceremony
Purdue University on Tuesday announced it was calling off its spring commencement ceremonies in May because of the COVID-19 outbreak. Purdue said it was organizing a virtual graduation ceremony or it would try to offer graduates opportunities to participate in future ceremonies.
Purdue joins Butler University and Indiana State University as Indiana colleges who have canceled spring ceremonies. Others are considering it.
Gleaners raises enough to meet Irsay’s $1M challenge
In less than 24 hours, Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana has raised more than $200,000, the amount needed to receive a matching donation of $1 million from Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay.
Irsay announced Monday that he would give the organization $1 million to help provide food to the hungry during the pandemic if the community first donated $200,000.
On Tuesday afternoon, Gleaners announced it had already exceeded that goal.
“This overwhelming response exceeded our expectations,” Gleaners President and CEO John Elliott said in a written statement. “We were confident we would achieve the goal, but did not expect to do so in less than 24 hours.”
