During a biweekly news conference City of South Bend and St. Joseph County officials expressed optimism about COVID-19 statistics currently trending downward.
"We acknowledge the impact of the cases at Notre Dame. Much of that has washed out," Dr. Mark Fox with the St. Joseph Co. Health Department said.
But in the next breath, Fox expressed concern about the upcoming weekend in which Notre Dame will play its first home game of the season. Fox said even with reduced stadium capacity and no tailgating, he is still encouraging people to be mindful of mitigation strategies, like social distancing, wearing a mask and hand washing.
He emphasized that a lot is at stake as many schools in the county are preparing for a return to in-person instruction.
South Bend Mayor James Mueller also expressed concern that the first football game at Notre Dame will create gatherings and parties that may create a bump up in the COVID-19 statistics. As for what can be done to crackdown on parties, Mueller said there is little the city can do since the current size limit on gatherings in Indiana is 250. Other than enforcing noise ordinances, Mueller acknowledged there are limited tools available on the enforcement side.
