March has been and will continue to be a busy month for Indianapolis with college basketball tournaments coming to town.
That means the Marion County Public Health Department, in the midst of a campaign to get people vaccinated against COVID-19, will have to make sure fans and residents follow health guidelines to avoid the types of surges associated with the Fourth of July and Christmas holidays.
The men’s and women’s conference tournaments for the Horizon League have already concluded. The Big Ten men’s and women’s tournaments have started, and the men’s NCAA Tournament starts March 18 (the women’s tournament will be in San Antonio). Boys high school basketball is also in the postseason.
“We have all had a year of practice to prepare for this final stretch,” Mayor Joe Hogsett said during a COVID-19 update March 11.
The county health department will take the lead on enforcing things such as wearing masks and social distancing while people are in town for the tournaments, but Hogsett said he’ll also depend on business owners to act responsibly.
Business owners should keep in mind that “short-term gain is long-term pain,” he said.
Marion County has had plenty of time to prepare for becoming the epicenter of postseason basketball.
The NCAA announced in early January most of the tournament would be played in Indianapolis at various venues, with some games in Bloomington and West Lafayette. The Big Ten announced in early February its conference tournaments would be in Indianapolis.
Attendance for the NCAA Tournament will be capped at 25% capacity, and there is limited attendance at Big Ten Tournament games.
Dr. Virginia Caine, director of the county health department, said fans at the NCAA Tournament will have to leave after each game for cleaning, and the health department will have technology for contact tracing.
“I will know who you are,” Caine said of fans. “I will know what spectator is sitting in a seat. I will know what hotel you’re staying at if you’re staying at a hotel.”
Other news from the COVID-19 update
Marion County’s COVID-19 numbers continue to improve.
The county’s seven-day positivity rate is down to 2.9% after being as high as about 16.5% in early December. The goal is to stay below 5%.
The seven-day average for newly confirmed cases is down to 104, which is an improvement, but the goal is to get down to 35. The plurality of new cases right now are in people ages 20 to 39.
Deaths have also declined to 0.6 per day.
About 9.2% of Marion County residents have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. That includes about half of people 70 and older. Vaccines are currently available to those 50 and older. Click here to register or call 211.
Contact staff writer Tyler Fenwick at 317-762-7853. Follow him on Twitter @Ty_Fenwick.
