CASS COUNTY — The Cass County Health Department issued new orders on Monday in response to the rapid increase of COVID-19 cases in the county following the testing of dozens of employees at the Tyson Fresh Meats in Logansport.
According to statistics from the Indiana State Department of Health, 1,025 people in Cass County have tested positive for the coronavirus. With a county population of around 38,000, it means Cass County has the highest infection rate in the state.
The rate spiked over the past week following an outbreak at the Tyson plant, which was shut down Friday after several hundred of its 2,200 employees tested positive for COVID-19.
On Monday, the City of Logansport and the Cass County Commission imposed new major restrictions on essential businesses in an effort to get more people to stay home and to stop the spread of the virus.
Logansport Mayor Chris Martin issued an executive order saying only one person per family, and nobody under the age of 16, will be allowed into essential retail establishments.
The Cass County Commission also approved restrictions on essential businesses countywide. Five customers will be allowed in businesses that are 2,000 square feet or less. In larger businesses, the number of customers will be limited to two customers per 1,000 square feet and capped at 125 at one time.
Additionally, Logansport Memorial Hospital announced patients with an illness other than COVID-19 may be sent to medical facilities outside Cass County to avoid becoming exposed to the virus and so doctors can concentrate on the COVID-19 patients in their care.
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