(La Porte, IN) - La Porte County government buildings are back to being open to the public by appointment only until the COVID-19 curve flattens.  All other business is being conducted over the phone, electronically and through drop-off boxes.

The same restrictions in place from late March until the end of June went into effect Monday under an executive order issued by La Porte County Commission president Sheila Matias.  "We’re just trying to do what we can to reduce community spread,” she said.  Some La Porte County government employees have also gone back to working from home.

The Indiana State Department of Health on Tuesday reported 58 new cases in La Porte County and a positivity rate here of 12.4-percent for people tested for the virus.  New daily cases here recently eclipsed 100 on several occasions after the number of positive test results within a 24 hour period was once in the single digits.  “Our numbers are really high.  Our hospitals are full and it’s not just our county,” she said.

All La Porte County government meetings will also be held virtually for the time being to further reduce the use of buildings and slow the spread.