Page last updated on September 6, 2021 at 4:21 pm
Hello, this is Mayor John Hamilton. It's Monday, May 24th. Just giving a quick update to the public on matters COVID, so thanks for your attention. It's been a busy week again. I'll reiterate what Monroe County Health Administrator Penny Caudill said, which was, "You remember, it was complicated as we got into this pandemic. It's complicated as we're going to get out of it too." So we continue to evolve. Of course, the biggest news, and I want to give a big shout out and thanks to Indiana University, which last Friday announced their program to require vaccinations of their whole community, students, faculty staff, by the time school starts again.
And that's a huge benefit to the rest of us in the community, that commitment to have their whole community vaccinated. It will make a very big difference. As I've said, that's how we're going to win, is with high numbers of vaccinations.
So thank you to President McRobbie, Provost Robel, their whole team for making that commitment. That makes a huge difference to our community. Thanks for your leadership. We'll be continuing to evaluate options both as a city, as an employer, and as a partner with so many others. Vaccinations are how we're going to get out of this. We're not out of the woods yet. We continue to see disease. Hospitalizations have increased, which is of serious concern in our region. So we know we still have work to do.
This increased focus on vaccinations is exactly how we're going to get this done. So please get your vaccines as soon as you can. If you have any questions about why you should or should not do it, talk to your healthcare provider, and reach out to public health experts. They're safe. The vaccines are safe. They're very effective. You're dramatically safer when you have a vaccine against any serious risk of illness or death compared to if you don't have a vaccine.
It's a whole other world, many magnitude factors. So please do get your vaccines. Thanks again to IU for what you do, and stay tuned for more information as the world continues to change. The farmer's markets are opening up and many facilities are as well. If you're vaccinated, you're pretty safe. If you're not vaccinated, you're not–You need to keep wearing a mask and protecting yourself from the risks. I'll give you more updates throughout the week, and thanks again. Take care of yourselves.