It was only a matter of time and we knew it would happen soon with Hamilton County’s population size – the county health department reports its first confirmed case of what the department describes as a case of “novel coronavirus.”

Sometimes local authorities will disclose some information about those with positive coronavirus test results, but in this case, local health officials say they “will not be providing any further information on this case out of respect for the person’s privacy.”

My news gathering partner, The Hamilton County Reporter, and Tom Britt’s Fishers Magazine reported the first HAMCO coronavirus case Sunday morning.

In a statement released Sunday, Dr. Charles Harris, Hamilton County Health Officer, wrote the following –  “We have known COVID-19 would arrive in Hamilton County eventually, we were fortunate to have additional time to prepare for our first case. We will continue to work with our federal, state, and local partners to mitigate, and respond to COVID-19.”

I have seen a great deal of social media chatter lately about the coverage of the pandemic and I want to point out just a few important facts.  First, local news organizations are doing the very best they can.  The state’s largest newspaper, the Indianapolis Star, is a hollowed-out version of what it once was in terms of employing journalists, but the Star is doing some good reporting and doing a pretty good job considering the massive staff cuts in recent years.  The journalists there are working as hard as they can and doing good work, as are reporters in other local news outlets.

Second, I have been sounding the alarm about what happens to local communities when independent news organizations are massively reduced or go out of business altogether.  There are fewer reporters and editors out in the field talking to the people in the know.  That’s how the public is informed at a time like this.  Allow me to repeat my mantra on this – subscribe to your local media outlets!  If you don’t, you will be crying out for the best information and it just won’t be there.

America’s number one expert in infectious diseases, Dr. Anthony Fauci, made the rounds on the Sunday morning talk shows and had a stark message for all Americans.  His message was – we need what can only be described as a national lock-down to prevent the spread of this virus.  Even with all the steps that have already been taken, such as closing down virtually all sports, Fauci said he wants all restaurants and bars closed down.  He told CNN he would “like to see a dramatic diminution of the personal interaction that we see” in those places.

Fauci is basically saying whatever we have to do as a nation, we need to do it and we need to do it now.  If Dr. Fauci is correct, and he is the leading national expert on this, we will be at home for a while.

Another important aspect of this has been covered by local and national media, in that we have not had much of any testing available.  Until tests are there for the medical personnel to use, no one knows the extent of the infections.  It could be worse than we think, or not as bad as we now envision – we just do not know.

There is much more to say about this, but as a local volunteer journalist working on my own, let’s find a way to support local business owners.  If you feel going to a restaurant or bar is not a good idea now, buy a gift certificate and enjoy the place when it is safe to do so.  That is just one example, you may think of others, but find a way to support these local establishments as best you can.

I have tried to keep up with the closures locally, but one I just found out about lately is what’s happening at the Hamilton East Library system, which runs the Noblesville and Fishers Libraries.  They are closing their meeting rooms and the Ignite space in the lower level of the Fishers building.  When I first posted this story, the Hamilton East Libraries had planned to keep the main libraries open, but Sunday afternoon, the Noblesville and Fishers Libraries announced they will close through April 13.

Let’s support our school administrators, teachers, local elected officials and others in a position of authority locally as they all cope with a situation not seen in modern times.  And, I will be watching and reporting as best I can from here.