Editor,
According to the Hamilton county department of public health, Hamilton county has reached 11,268 cases of COVID-19, but you wouldn’t think so from the sight of Carmel’s restaurant and bar scene. Even though Indiana is in Stage 5 of its reopening plan, that does not mean that Carmel has to be careless.
With the uptick of cases in Hamilton county, Carmel should consider closing bars/restaurants for in-person dining in the winter. According to the Poynter institute, the director of the CDC predicts the fall and winter will be the worst time for the spread of COVID19. So, opening restaurants/bars to indoor dining would be reckless.
According to the 2019 Census, about 9,681 households have at least one person who is 65 or older. Carmel should want to protect its most vulnerable residents, and closing indoor dining is a feasible option.
This summer, I saw irresponsible behavior from some Carmel residents. I saw pictures of packed bars with little to no masks. At the height of the pandemic, this is a cycle I don’t want to repeat in the winter.
I understand that closing indoor dining is an inconvenience to business owners and customers, but we must remember that we are in the middle of a public health crisis the state government is doing little to mitigate.
Carmel residents should ensure that our community stays healthy and that might mean detracting from the state’s guidelines. Throughout this pandemic, we’ve all had to make sacrifices. It shouldn’t stop because of the holiday season.
Jordyn Blakey, Carmel
