IndyStar

All six public school districts in Hamilton County announced they will close starting Monday, March 16, at the recommendation of the Hamilton County Health Department.

There have been no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Hamilton County and the move is aimed at stopping the spread of the virus.

The districts' announcements were made within hours of a news conference with Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett late Thursday, where it was announced that most Marion County public schools will close Friday and all county schools would be closed by Monday.

The Hamilton County districts will be in session Friday, in many cases as a way for teachers and students to prepare for a period of distance learning.

Full story.

— MJ Slaby

Brownsburg schools to close Friday

Brownsburg Schools will close Friday and move to "home learning."

During the week of March 16, school will not physically meet on campus, according to a letter posted to social media by Superintendent Jim Snapp.

Snapp said teachers will be working to coordinate at-home learning that will be posted online for Brownsburg students starting Monday. These assignments will not be expected to be returned on a daily basis, he said, but completed over the course of the closure.

Spring break will continue as planned, from March 23 to April 3.

"At this time, we do not know the overall length of the closure," he said.

Snapp said the soonest students and school staff will be together in the classroom will be April 6.

—Arika Herron

Boys & Girls Clubs announce closures

In what they called a proactive step to curbing the potential spread of the novel coronavirus, The Boys & Girls Clubs of Indianapolis announced Thursday that all 10 clubs would close following the evening dismissal, and will remain closed until further notice.

The clubs affected are:

Finish Line

Keenan-Stahl

LeGore

Lilly

Wheeler-Dowe

Global Preparatory Academy at Riverside, IPS No. 44

Jonathan Jennings

Liberty Park

Pleasant Run

Raymond Park

— Holly Hays

Marion County public schools to close by Monday

All Marion County public school districts will close Friday, officials announced Thursday.

The closure will last through schools' planned spring breaks, which last through April 5.

Combined, the county's 11 public school districts serve roughly 140,000 students.

The affected districts are:

Indianapolis Public Schools

Beech Grove Schools

Speedway Schools

Wayne Township Schools

Warren Township Schools

Washington Township Schools

Franklin Township Schools

Decatur Township Schools

Lawrence Township Schools

Perry Township Schools

Pike Township Schools

It will include public charter schools, as well.

“To those who argue these policies will be disruptive, my answer is simple: they better be," Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett said. "This virus and the threat it poses to our city, state, and country is massive. Left unchecked, it has the potential to wreak untold damage on our families and the very social safety net that protects our most vulnerable residents.”

Hogsett said City-County government will work with school districts and service providers to ensure meals are still available during the closures.

Full story.

Other steps announced by Hogsett

Hogsett also announced Thursday that he has directed the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department to issue summonses instead of making arrests for non-violent misdemeanors, subject to officer discretion.

Additionally, City-County Government has banned non-essential travel by city employees and is transitioning some employees to work from home.

Eli Lilly working with Canadian company on coronavirus treatment

Eli Lilly and Co. has joined with a Canadian company to identify a potential treatment and prevention for the disease known as COVID-19.

The Indianapolis-based pharmaceutical company will partner with AbCellera Biologics, a Vancouver-based antibody company, to find the antibodies best able to disarm SARS-COV-2, the virus that causes the illness that has sickened more than 127,000 people around the world.

Although solving such a puzzle might typically take years, Lilly officials said in a news release that they hoped that by working together the two companies would be able to start testing therapies in patients within the next four months.

Full story.

-- Shari Rudavsky

Governor limits gatherings to 250 people

Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb has announced additional steps the state will take to reduce the spread of novel coronavirus, or COVID-19 in Indiana, including limiting non-essential gatherings to no more than 250 people.

The steps announced include:

Non-essential gatherings limited 250 people or less include any event or gathering of people who are in a single space at the same time, such as cafeterias, churches, stadiums, meeting rooms and auditoriums. This guidance applies to professional, social, community and similar other gatherings.

Child care and adult day care facilities should implement social distancing and minimize large gatherings. Temporary suspension of operations should be done in consultation with the Family and Social Services and ISDH in the instance of documented community spread.

Nursing facilities and hospitals should restrict and screen visitors. Anyone who is allowed to visit is restricted to the patient’s room. Visitors are not allowed if they present with any symptoms of the coronavirus, have traveled internationally, been in contact with someone with a respiratory illness in the past 14 days, reside in a community with a known COVID-19 case, or are under 18 years old.

Individuals over 60 years of age or those with a known underlying health issue such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes or chronic respiratory disease should limit their public exposure.

Those who run senior centers with group meal services should consider suspending those and arranging for home delivery

Encourage businesses to utilize remote work policies, if available

Holcomb is also issuing guidance for state employee operations. The state will suspend all non-essential out-of-state and international employee travel beginning today and for the next 45 days. .

“I fully expect there will be additional actions warranted in the coming days,” Holcomb said in a statement. “Just as we have since the beginning of the year, we are working with partners at all levels to secure all necessary resources for any escalation of this virus.”

-- Elizabeth DePompei

Holcomb directs schools to prepare for closures

As school districts around the state close or move instruction online over concerns about the coronavirus, Gov. Eric Holcomb will allow school districts to waive up to 20 days from the state’s requirement of 180 instructional days in a school year.

Holcomb said the waived says do not need to be used consecutively and “can be leveraged as needed.”

The governor also told schools to plan for broader closures, including moves to eLearning and remote classrooms.

The U.S. Department of Education announced earlier Thursday that it would give K-12 school districts flexibility from some federal accountability standards due to extended coronavirus-relate closures.

-- Arika Herron

Indiana State Fairgrounds suspends all events

All events at the Indiana State Fairgrounds and Event Center have been suspended following Gov. Eric Holcomb's order to limited non-essential gatherings of more than 250 people.

"Until further notice events scheduled at the Indiana State Fairgrounds & Event Center are suspended. We will work in the coming weeks to reschedule those events that we can," Indiana State Fairgrounds said in a release.

A ticket refund policy is being developed.

Upcoming events at the fairgrounds include the 2020 Flower and Patio Show, Hoosier City Cheer Competition and the Indy Blues Festival.

-- Elizabeth DePompei

NCAA cancels 2020 men's, women's basketball tournaments

In a move so rare and drastic it surpasses even World War II-era policy, the NCAA announced Thursday afternoon that it is canceling its 2020 men’s and women’s basketball tournaments, as well as remaining winter and spring championship

The association’s statement came after a fraught evening of COVID-19-related postponements and cancellations, chief among them the NBA’s decision to suspend its season after a player tested positive for the virus. Now, for the first time since the creation of the men’s tournament in 1939, the NCAA will end a season without crowning a champion in basketball.

"This decision is based on the evolving COVID-19 public health threat," the statement said, "our ability to ensure the events do not contribute to spread of the pandemic, and the impracticality of hosting such events at any time during this academic year given ongoing decision by other entities."

Full story.

-- Zach Osterman

Stock market plunge deepens

The stock market rout intensified on Thursday, with the S&P 500 tumbling into a bear market for the first time since the financial crisis as the coronavirus's impact on the economy escalated.

The S&P 500, which professional investors watch closely as a gauge for the health of the markets, fell into a bear market, or a drop of 20% from its peak, ending the longest bull market in Wall Street history.

The Dow Jones industrial average, which fell into bear market territory Wednesday, plunged 2,200 points, or 10% -- its biggest one-day percentage drop since the 1987 market crash.

Full story.

-- Jessica Mentonand Nathan Bomey, USA TODAY

Firefighter convention postponed

The Fire Department Instructors Conference (FDIC) has postponed its 2020 conference at the Indiana Convention Center and is working on setting new dates. The FDIC is the world's largest firefighter training expo, drawing over 35,000 firefighters from more than 65 countries, according to its website.

This year's conference was originally scheduled for April 21 through April 25.

-- Elizabeth DePompei

IND to Paris flight suspended

In response to the European travel ban, Delta Airlines temporarily suspended seven flights including the nonstop flight from Indianapolis International Airport to Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris. According to Delta, flights will still operate Thursday and return on Friday before the postponement begins. The airline said it will cap fares for flights to Europe, and waived change fees for those traveling to, from or through Europe and the UK through May 31.

Zionsville, Lebanon schools close

Zionsville Community Schools and Lebanon Community Schools are closing due to COVID-19 concerns. Both districts are closing their buildings at 6 p.m. today and will be closed to students on Friday.

Students in both districts will do eLearning starting Monday, March 16 through Friday, March 27 when spring break starts in both districts.

Both districts said they made the decision with the guidance of the Boone County Health Department.

Full story.

—MJ Slaby

Ivy Tech moving to online classes

After initially saying it would stay open, Ivy Tech Community College is delaying the start of all courses until March 23.

The state's community college system, with 18 campuses, plans to deliver courses virtually or by other means through at least April 5.

Officials said a decision about the need for continued virtual and alternate delivery of classes will by made by March 30.

All domestic and international student travel had already been suspended and all international staff travel, on behalf of or representing the college, is suspended. Domestic out-of-state employee travel, with the exception of travel to states immediately contiguous to Indiana, has also been suspended.

Full story.

—Arika Herron

Big Ten basketball tournament canceled

The remainder of the Big Ten men's basketball tournament has been canceled.

The conference released a statement moments after Rutgers and Michigan players were sent back to the locker rooms after taking the Bankers Life Fieldhouse court for warmups of Thursday's scheduled noon tipoff.

"The Big Ten Conference will use this time to work with the appropriate medical experts and institutional leadership to determine next steps for moving forward in regard to the COVID-19 pandemic," a statement from the conference read.

Full story.

-- Matt Glenesk

Hancock County sheriff: jailer tested positive for the coronavirus

A Hancock County Sheriff's Office jailer has tested positive for the coronavirus, according to a news release from the sheriff's office. The staff member is in self-quarantine at home.

The jailer was not believed to be in contact with any inmates. Two other staff members who had direct contact with the infected jailer have been sent home to self-quarantine, but not have shown any symptoms, according to the sheriff's office.

The jailer was last at work Sunday, March 8. That's when he was notified that an acquaintance tested positive for the coronavirus. The jailer, who had a mild cough and no other symptoms, immediately reported the information and went home. He tested positive for the coronavirus Wednesday, March 11, according to the sheriff's office.

The jailer is not a resident of Hancock County, according to the Hancock County Health Department. It was unclear where the jailer lived.

-- Elizabeth DePompei

Indianapolis concerts postponed

For the first time, major Indianapolis concerts have been affected over concerns related to the coronavirus outbreak.

Bankers Life Fieldhouse performances by Michael Buble and country-pop duo Dan & Shay have been postponed. Buble’s schedule included an April 1 performance at the arena. A makeup date is expected to be announced. Dan & Shay pushed back an April 16 show to Oct. 5.

“It is a strange, strange time for all of us, but we felt this was the right thing to do,” Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney said in a statement. “Previously purchased tickets will be honored at all rescheduled dates. We hope everyone can make it.”

See all major event cancellations here.

-- David Lindquist

Worker at Indiana Fiat Chrysler factory tests positive for the coronavirus

A worker in Indiana at a Fiat Chrysler Automobiles plant has tested positive for the coronavirus, the Detroit Free Press reported. The infected man works at FCA's Kokomo Transmission Plant in Kokomo.

The plant, which is about 50 miles north of Indianapolis, employs about 4,000 workers, according to FCA's website.

FCA said production continues as normal and the company is working with local health authorities to support the treatment of the employee. The employee is receiving medical care, said FCA spokeswoman Jodi Tinson.

Full story.

-- Jamie L. LaReau, Detroit Free Press

IHSAA boys tournament to be played in front of limited crowd

The high school boys basketball regional games on Saturday will be played in front of family and essential personnel due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Indiana High School Athletic Association commissioner Bobby Cox addressed the plans for the remaining games of the IHSAA boys basketball tournament and Saturday’s girls gymnastics state finals on Thursday during a news conference at the IHSAA building.

Cox said each school in the boys tournament will get 75 maximum admissions. The IHSAA will attempt to live stream all games left in the state tournament.

Full story.

-- Kyle Neddenriep

Marion County gets 2nd reported case

Marion County has its second case of the coronavirus and St. Joseph has its first case of the disease also known as COVID-19, according to a state dashboard tracking such cases.

As of last night, when the state had 10 cases confirmed, two of these individuals were hospitalized; the rest were in self-isolation.

Nearly 60 people across the state were monitoring themselves for symptoms after having traveled to a heavily affected area, according to the Indiana State Department of Health.

Meanwhile callers were flooding a state hotline set up to handle questions about the coronavirus. On Tuesday, the call center handled 465 calls during the day and another 50 overnight.

— Shari Rudavsky

Eskenazi Health tightens visitor restrictions

In collaboration with the Marion County Public Health Department and the Indianapolis Coalition for Patient Safety, Eskenazi Health enhanced its temporary restrictions for visitors at the Sidney & Lois Eskenazi Hospital. The temporary restrictions include, but are not limited to:

No visitors with symptoms of influenza.

No visitors under the age of 18.

Visitors are limited to two people and only immediate family as identified by the patient.

Visitors should check the Eskenazi Health website and call in advance about its restrictions and any exceptions.

Indianapolis St. Patrick's Day events canceled

The Athletic Club Foundation has cancelled Friday's scheduled St. Patrick's Day Parade and tent party, according to a release Thursday morning. The Greening of the Canal, scheduled for Thursday, and the Shamrock Run Walk, scheduled for Saturday, have also been cancelled.

“As our understanding of the scope and significance of the COVID-19 virus has developed over the course of the last several days, we like most civic organizations have made decisions that have only one objective: to do whatever is in our power to keep our community healthy," Foundation Chair Robert Welch said. "Unfortunately, that mission means sacrificing a little fun this year.":

Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett said in a statement he applauds the decision.

"I urge all event organizers in Indianapolis to rely on guidance from the CDC, as well as state and local health officials, in making determinations as to their previously-planned functions. In addition, city officials are working to ensure that events that may move forward are adopting best practices to protect participants based on the latest guidance from the Indiana State Department of Health. We will remain in communication with the Indiana State Department of Health and are prepared to act swiftly based on any change in guidance.”

See all major event cancellations here.

Trump clarifies comments on European travel ban

WASHINGTON – Minutes after addressing the nation about the coronavirus pandemic, President Donald Trump had to clean up his remarks Wednesday to clarify that he was not proposing a ban on cargo from Europe.

The president outlined strict travel restrictions on passengers arriving in the United States from hard-hit portions of Europe during his Oval Office remarks.

“And these prohibitions will not only apply to the tremendous amount of trade and cargo but various other things as we get approval,” Trump said. “Anything coming from Europe to the United States is what we are discussing.”

The White House quickly noted that the restrictions were focused on people, not boxes.

Full story

Indy could lose millions without basketball fans at tournaments

Hosting a fanless basketball tournament could result in a multimillion dollar loss for Indianapolis, where hotels, restaurants, bars and retail shops stood to gain from the influx of fans who wanted to watch the games in person.

The NCAA’s March Madness Midwest Regional tournament alone was expected to bring 50,000 fans to the Circle City and have a potential economic impact of $20 million, according to Visit Indy.

Coronavirus in Indiana:How to prepare, what to expect and what's affected

But on Wednesday, NCAA President Mark Emmert announced that fans would not be allowed to attend the games due to concerns about the transmission of the novel coronavirus. Instead, attendance would be restricted to essential staff and limited family.

"While I understand how disappointing this is for all fans of our sports, my decision is based on the current understanding of how COVID-19 is progressing in the United States," Emmert said. "This decision is in the best interest of public health, including that of coaches, administrators, fans and, most importantly, our student-athletes."

Emmert said the decision was made after consulting with public health officials and the NCAA’s COVID-19 advisory panel.

His announcement was followed by the Big Ten Conference announcing that beginning Thursday fans would not be allowed into Bankers Life Fieldhouse to watch the men’s basketball tournament. The men's and women's tournaments were expected to generate a combined $15 million for the city.

The March Madness Midwest regional tournament is scheduled to take place at Lucas Oil Stadium from March 26-28. Fourteen cities across the U.S. were scheduled to host March Madness events with the First Four set to take place in Dayton, Ohio, on March 17-19. Indianapolis is one of four cities hosting Elite Eight regional tournaments.

Visit Indy spokesperson Chris Gahl said more than 83,000 residents depend on the local tourism industry for a paycheck.

“Our priority is the health and safety of each and every one of our hospitality workers and the city’s nearly 30 million annual visitors. As with other major cities across the U.S, we know we aren’t immune from this issue,” Gahl said. “Over the last week, we have proactively called every convention convening here through August to reassure each of our city’s proactive efforts to keep visitors safe and healthy.”

— Alex Burris

NBA suspends season

The NBA announced Wednesday night it is suspending its season after a Utah Jazz player preliminarily tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19).

The league said it is halting operations “following the conclusion of tonight’s schedule of games until further notice. The NBA will use this hiatus to determine next steps for moving forward in regard to the coronavirus pandemic.”

Full story

Tom Hanks says he and his wife have tested positive

Tom Hanks says he has contracted coronavirus.

The actor confirmed on Instagram and Twitter Wednesday that he and wife Rita Wilson, both 63, tested positive for COVID-19 in Australia after feeling ill.

"We felt a bit tired, like we had colds, and some body aches," Hanks wrote. "Rita had some chills that came and went. Slight fevers too. To play things right, as is needed in the world right now, we were tested for the Coronavirus, and were found to be positive."

Full story

Butler extends spring break, moves to online classes

Butler University announced late Wednesday night that it will extend its spring break to March 18 and all classes will be conducted through virtual instruction from March 19 through at least April 4 — making it at least the eighth in the state to move to online instruction for at least some length of time amid concerns over the coronavirus.

The spring break extension will allow faculty additional time to prepare for a successful transition to an entirely online delivery of instruction, said President James Danko in a letter to the campus.

The campus will remain open during the move to virtual instruction. University services— including residence halls, dining facilities, academic support services and health services — will also remain open.

Butler has suspended all university-related travel, both international and domestic, until further notice.

"Let me assure the community that I, personally, along with other leaders across campus, understand that these actions will cause inconvenience and disruption," Danko said. "However, we believe these precautionary actions are necessary to protect the Butler community."

— Arika Herron

'Bob & Tom Show' cancels road trip to Reds’ opening day

The cast of radio’s “Bob & Tom Show” will stay in Indianapolis and skip two scheduled road trips because of concerns related to the coronavirus outbreak.

One of the canceled trips is the show’s annual visit to Cincinnati for opening day of Reds’ baseball season. The nationally syndicated morning show announced Wednesday that it won’t travel to Cincinnati on March 26.

Tom Griswold launched the "Bob & Tom Show" at WFBQ-FM (94.7) with now-retired partner Bob Kevoian on March 7, 1983. Although Kevoian retired in December 2015, he is a regular guest on the Reds’ opening day broadcast. In Cincinnati, the show is heard on WOFX-FM.

“Bob & Tom” also scrapped plans to visit Charleston, West Virginia, for an April 3 broadcast. One of the show’s affiliate stations, WKLC-FM, is celebrating 40 years of its classic rock format.

— David Lindquist