INDIANAPOLIS — Friday's latest updates on the coronavirus pandemic.
National FFA Convention goes virtual
The National FFA Organization has announced that this year's national event — set to begin Oct. 28 in Indianapolis — will be held online instead.
Dr. James Woodard, National FFA's national advisor and chair of the board of directors, said the virtual event may look different, but safety of FFA members and stakeholders was the primary concern.
"Rest assured that we will continue to be celebrating agriculture’s future leaders and conducting the organization’s official business," Woodard said.
The organization also announced it has extended its agreement to host the annual convention in Indianapolis through 2033 — extended from 2031.
Indy 500 will run with 50% of fans
In an email sent to ticket holders on Friday, Indianapolis Motor Speedway officials confirmed their commitment to welcoming spectators to the 104th Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, Aug. 23, with the venue capacity limited to 50 percent attendance.
"We're committed to running the Indy 500 on Sunday, Aug. 23 and will welcome fans to the world’s greatest racing venue," IMS President J. Douglas Boles said. "We will be limiting attendance to approximately 50 percent of venue capacity, and we are also finalizing a number of additional carefully considered health and safety measures. We’ll unveil the specific details of our comprehensive plan in the coming weeks."
ISDH update
The Indiana State Department of Health reports nine more deaths from COVID-19. That brings the total deaths in Indiana to 2,403.
What is also of note is the 510 new positive cases. This is the second day in a row that new positive cases have been above 500. The last time we had multiple days with numbers that high was after Memorial Day weekend.
City of Indianapolis partners with IndyGo to give away free face masks
The city of Indianapolis has announced a partnership with IndyGo that will help give Indy residents access to free face masks. The City will give away face coverings at the Julia M. Carson Transit Center throughout the week while supplies last.
A pop-up station will be set up outside of the building Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 7 p.m., and Saturday from 9 a.m. until noon. So far, nearly 190,000 free masks are reserved for distribution.
Anyone interested in reserving a free face covering should visit indy.gov/masks.
IU Health Foundation cancels Rev 2020
Rev 2020 has been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Indiana University Health Foundation made the announcement Friday morning.
The annual event was originally scheduled for May 2 but was rescheduled for Aug. 1 due to COVID-19 concerns. The IU Health Foundation has now shifted planning to focus on Rev 2021, which is scheduled for May 8, 2021 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Rev is a philanthropic event benefiting IU Health patients and serves as the IU Health Foundation’s largest annual event fundraiser. Click here for more information.
Latest US, world numbers
There have been 2.42 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. as of 3:30 a.m. ET Friday, according to Johns Hopkins University. There have been more than 124,000 deaths and 663,000 people recovered.
Worldwide, there have been 9.61 million confirmed cases with more than 489,000 deaths and 4.83 million recovered.
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.
Indiana Beach reopening Friday
One of Indiana's oldest theme parks is making its return Friday.
In February, officials confirmed Indiana Beach had closed with no plans to reopen; however, the theme park launched a new website in May to announce its intentions to reopen this summer under new ownership.
The phased reopening begins June 26 with a VIP event for those who reserved their space in advance. Indiana Beach will be open to the public beginning Saturday, June 27.
For its first week of reopening, Indiana Beach will be maintaining a 50% capacity limit. Reservations must be made on these days.
RELATED: Indiana Beach set to reopen in June
Indiana Beach will implement new health and safety protocols upon reopening. Click here to read the updated guidelines.
Indy Parks' summer concert, movie series begins Friday
Indy Parks will kick off its annual free summer concert and movie series Friday. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the series has been greatly reduced.
While Indy Parks normally offers 70 concerts and films at nine parks, this year will only have 16 concerts and four films at four parks.
The first screening is Friday at 9 p.m. at Garfield Park, where visitors can watch "The Lion King." Park-goers can enjoy the drive-in movie as volunteers will give instructions for hearing the audio on the radio.
Here is the full schedule of summer events:
- June 26 at 9 p.m. - "The Lion King" at Garfield Park
- July 3 at 9 p.m. - "The Sandlot" at Garfield Park
- July 17 at 7 p.m. - Clint Breeze and The Groove at MLK Park
- July 22 at 6:30 p.m. - Midwest Rhythm Exchange at Eagle Creek Park
- July 23 at 7 p.m. - Indianapolis Jazz Collective at Garfield Park
- July 24 at 9 p.m. - "Jumanji: The Next Level" at Garfield Park
- July 25 at 6 p.m. - Starcat & Hyryder at Garfield Park
- July 29 at 6:30 p.m. - Cohen-Rutkowski Project at Eagle Creek Park
- July 30 at 7 p.m. - Owl Music Group at Garfield Park
- July 31 at 7 p.m. - Danni al Mar at Broad Ripple Park
- Aug. 5 at 6:30 p.m. - Katherine Nagy at Eagle Creek Park
- Aug. 6 at 7 p.m. - Bryan Thompson at Garfield Park
- Aug. 7 at 7 p.m. - John Raymond at MLK Park
- Aug. 12 at 6:30 p.m. - Amanda Gardier Quartet at Eagle Creek Park
- Aug. 14 at 9 p.m. - "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" at Garfield Park
- Aug. 19 at 6:30 p.m. - Sarah Grain and the Billions of Stars at Eagle Creek Park
Aug. 21 at 7 p.m. - Charlie Ballantine Quartet at Broad Ripple Park
Aug. 26 at 6:30 p.m. - Rob Dixon and Triology at Eagle Creek Park
Sept. 5 at 7:30 p.m. - China Grove at Garfield Park
Sept. 11 at 7 p.m. - Indianapolis Opera at Garfield Park
