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A stop the spread poster in Burmese designed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
As national and state leaders struggle to get COVID-19 under control, minority groups are at a higher risk for the virus. And that includes Indianapolis’ Burmese refugees, a tight-knit community. But providing these refugees with accurate information about the virus has been a challenge for public health workers.
Drive along the neighborhoods on Indianapolis’ southside and it’s hard to miss the international grocery stores, Burmese restaurants, and Chin-Christian churches. The city is home to an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 Burmese refugees, and on the south side, most of them are Chin, an ethnic group that fled religious persecution in the southeast Asian country of Myanmar.
The day after the historic men’s basketball tournament played exclusively in Central Indiana came to a close, NCAA and Indianapolis city officials hailed the month of games as an unbridled success.
But their salutary words came against the somber backdrop of two COVID-related deaths in the final week of the tournament, one an out-of-state fan and the other a local bartender.
Tuesday Mayor Joe Hogsett effusively thanked the many agencies and individuals who helped bring to fruition the tournament before waxing eloquently about the past month.
“This was a remarkable month for the city of Indianapolis,” Hogsett said. “This much is clear. We have proved to the world that we can responsibly host major events. That more than anything else is my takeaway.”
State officials are inquiring about a death of a St. Elmo Steak House worker amid an outbreak of COVID-19 cases at the restaurant.
The restaurant was back serving Monday after multiple employees had tested positive for the coronavirus. Still, many workers opted to quarantine rather than get a required test, hampering the full strength of the state s most renowned restaurant.
The Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration said it is following up on a workplace fatality at St. Elmo.
We did receive a report about a workplace fatality and IOSHA has reached out to get more information, said IOSHA spokesperson Stephanie McFarland.
Why did St. Elmo close?
St. Elmo had been closed until further notice after multiple employees of the downtown Indianapolis restaurant tested positive for coronavirus.
Craig Huse, president of Huse Culinary, issued a statement late Saturday confirming that nine St. Elmo s employees have contracted the virus.
When did St. Elmo close?
The Marion County Public Health Department said St. Elmo on Saturday notified it that the restaurant was voluntarily closing temporarily as a result of multiple employees testing positive for COVID-19.
Current and former employees, who spoke to the IndyStar on the condition that their names would not be used, said the restaurant closed about 6:30 p.m. Saturday. The company sent a media notice about the closing about 11 p.m.