By LaMonte Richardson Jr.
TheStatehouseFile.com

INDIANAPOLIS—The Indiana State Teachers Association and the Indiana Chamber of Commerce are uniting to urge the public to take more precautions as COVID-19 continues to spread rapidly in Indiana.

“It’s true that the Indiana Chamber and ISTA do not see eye-to-eye on every issue. But this is all about coming together to urge each and every person to do what is best for their own families, our people, and our state. It is critical that we do so now,” said Indiana Chamber President Kevin Brinegar.

Tuesday, ISTA released a statement urging students, teachers, employees, and businesses to do the following:

• Wear a face covering when outside of the home to protect you and others;
• Avoid public gatherings and follow social distancing guidelines;
• Wash your hands often;
• And stay home if you are feeling ill.

ISTA President Keith Gambill said teachers and school districts have done a good job providing safe and very different learning environments for the students.

“But we can’t keep our teachers and students safe, as well as employees at all businesses, without vigilance in following these safety precautions,” he said in a news release.  “That’s why it’s so important for schools and businesses to work together on these public health matters.”

“Our workplaces and schools are inextricably tied in how we address this pandemic,” Brinegar said. “The strains on the education system directly impact the workplace as well with parents/workers caught in a nearly impossible balancing act.”

The joint statement from the two organizations often on the opposite side of most issues comes the same day the Indiana Department of Health announced that 107 people died from COVID-19, a record. Since the beginning of the pandemic in March, 5,169 Hoosiers have died from the highly contagious virus.

Also, the number of new cases of COVID-19 continues to climb. Tuesday, the health department reported an additional 5,702 positive COVID-19 cases, bringing the number of Indiana residents now known to have had the disease to 306,538.

The count of Hoosiers in hospitals with COVID-19 has also been hitting record highs in the past week, reaching 3,279 patients on Monday, nearly double the highest number reached on any day before November.

The Indiana Hospital Association has reported that COVID-19 hospitalization has increased 234% since Oct. 1 and 83% since Nov. 1 and could double again by Thanksgiving.

Katherine Feley, CEO of the Indiana State Nurses Association, said that when Hoosiers fail to wear a mask and act responsibly, health care and essential workers pay the price.

“Anyone who refuses to wear a mask is directly putting others at risk of harm,” she said in a news release. “Personal freedom should not extend to the freedom of placing others in danger.”

FOOTNOTE: LaMonte Richardson Jr. is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.