News Articles

In light of the emerging concerns regarding the spread of Coranavirus (COVID-19), and after consultation with the Porter County Health Department, the Porter County Board of Commissioners has established social distancing practices for County buildings, departments and venues.

“As the executive body of Porter County government, our highest priority is always public safety,” said Board President Jeff Good. “By implementing these social distancing practices, we hope to slow the spread and reduce the impact of COVID-19 and set the example for our municipal governments and businesses in Porter County.”

Meetings & Events

1. Older adults or people who have serious chronic medical conditions like heart disease, diabetes or lung disease should avoid attending any public gatherings.
2. People who have a fever, respiratory symptoms, or believe they are sick should stay home.
3. Porter County Government Meetings: While all official public meetings will remain open to the public, we encourage our citizens to avoid attending these meeting unless they have specific business on the agenda. If a citizen has specific business on the agenda for a meeting, they can contact the appropriate County department to reschedule their business at a future meeting. County government will be working to have all public meetings video recorded and the videos will be posted on the County website.
4. All events scheduled through April 8th at the Memorial Opera House, Porter County Expo Center and Porter County Museum will be cancelled. On a weekly basis, the Commissioners will determine any further cancellations for events scheduled after April 8th at these venues. Any future cancellations will be posted on the Memorial Opera House, Porter County Expo Center and Porter County Museum websites. For individuals who have purchased tickets for cancelled events at Memorial Opera House, refund request information will be posted on the Memorial Opera House website within the next few days.
5. Effective immediately and until further notice, the County will not allow use of its meeting rooms by internal departments or external groups for meeting with more than 25 participants.

Accessing County Services

1. When possible, residents who need to access services at County buildings are encouraged to utilize the County website rather than visiting in person. Many services are available to citizens online at www.porterco.org/HowDoI  or www.porterco.org/CountyServices . If they cannot locate the service they are seeking, residents can also submit on online request for service at www.porterco.org/RequestForService  and their request will be forwarded to the appropriate department.
2. For the health and wellbeing of your fellow citizens and our employees, if you have a fever, respiratory symptoms or believe you are sick please wait to visit a county building until you free of fever (100.4° F] or greater using an oral thermometer), signs of a fever, and any other symptoms for at least 24 hours, without the use of fever-reducing or other symptom-altering medicines (e.g. cough suppressants).
3. When possible, older adults or people who have serious chronic medical conditions like heart disease, diabetes or lung disease should consider enlisting a trusted family member to conduct your business on your behalf.

“We know that these social distancing practices may cause inconvenience to our citizens, but we believe they are necessary,” said Commissioner Jim Biggs. “If we err, it will be on the side of caution. We fully expect to modify our practices as conditions evolve and we will keep the public informed.”