Porter County imposes new restrictions on large gatherings due to COVID-19 | Latest Headlines
Instead, organizers were encouraged to serve food cafeteria-style. In this case, staff should wash their hands before serving and should only serve with a utensil or gloves, the guidelines state.
As more people attend and form lines while waiting to enter, receive food, use a restroom or anything of the like, they should not extend into any seating areas, the guidelines state.
All lines should leave space for people to social distance, according to the guidelines.
Porter County Health Department Administrator Letty Zepeda said officials expect pushback to the new rule and are fully prepared to deal with it.
“We get our guidance from the CDC and ISDH, and we follow the governor’s order. Usually any new law, mandate has some push back when people feel that their rights are being infringed upon. What they forget is that government is in place to protect us from us. If rules and laws weren’t in place, all havoc would break loose,” Zepeda said.
Zepeda added that many positive COVID-19 cases have been traced back to overcrowded venues. The health department’s new guidance is designed to allow those who gather to do so while reducing the risk of transmission.
“People need to understand that our goal is to keep everyone safe. We, too, would love to go back to how it used to be, but we can’t. We have to deal with what is occurring now, and what’s occurring is that more and more people are testing positive due to exposure,” she said.
