(Greencastle, Ind.) Putnam County officials announced today that there are currently 217confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the county. Putnam County has had a total of 3,425 individuals tested for COVID-19. The last 7-day positivity rate is at 3.7%.

Governor Eric J. Holcomb announced the state will remain in Stage 4.5 of the Back On Track Indiana   plan until Aug. 27. The executive order also extends the moratorium on evictions from rental properties and the prohibition on filing foreclosures through Aug. 14.

If you have COVID related questions Putnam County Hospital continues to have a COVID hotline. You can reach the COVID hotline at (765) 301-7019 The hotline is staffed from 8 a.m. – 9 p.m., seven days a week. Hospital staff can direct you to the nearest testing site, to keep potential COVID-19 patients from spreading the virus in health care offices.

August is National Immunization Month. Putnam County Hospital Primary Care Physician, Ceciley Casselman stated, “As a primary care physician it is important to prevent suffering, andvaccines are one of the best tools I have to do that. We have enough to worry about, get vaccinated and give yourself the peace of mind that you are protecting yourself and loved ones from communicable diseases.” For more information on the importance of immunization please visit https://pchosp.org/about-your-health/#single/0

Update from the city:

The City of Greencastle is now requiring the public to wear face coverings at all city offices. Persons entering city hall or other city offices must wear a mask unless accommodations are required under the ADA.

Citizens are strongly encouraged to wear masks in all city parks unless social distancing protocols can be followed.

When conducting business with city offices, citizens are encouraged to reach out by phone and e-mail for initial contacts. Meetings can be scheduled by appointment. Any meetings will require face coverings to be used by the participants.

Face coverings are now required at public meetings by the participants and members of the audience.

All Greencastle citizens are strongly encouraged to use face coverings, practice social distancing, and practice property hygiene to protect neighbors, friends and family. “Mask Up Greencastle!”

Information on utility payments

With the issuance of the Governor’s Executive Order 20-37 requiring the use of face coverings, the Greencastle Utilities would like to remind customers that utility bills do not have to be paid in person. The department offers four no or minimal contact ways to pay bills – on-line, by mail, by drop box, or by drive-up window.

Persons having trouble paying their bills should contact the Greencastle Utilities office at 765-653-2638 to work out a payment plan. Although the City Council has allowed for late fees to be waived, the actual utility bill must be paid to maintain service.

Additional updates:

Putnam County is providing regular updates on COVID-19 to citizens as part of its effort to complement the daily updates from the Indiana State Dept. of Health. The updates can be accessed via www.coronavirus.in.gov .

To learn more about Putnam County’s coordinated response to COVID-19, please visit the Putnam County Hospital at www.pchosp.org/covid-19-updates or the Putnam County Health Department at www.putnamhealthindiana.org.