The independent
To uncover
newspaper serving
the truth
Notre Dame, Saint Mary’s
and report
and holy cross
it accurately
Volume 55, Issue 21 | WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2020 | ndsmcobserver.com
Officials weigh new restrictions Dunne’s St. Joseph County health experts expect to implement further COVID protocols entire hall staff isolated
Observer Staff Report
St. Joseph County health officer Dr. Robert Einterz said he expects the county to implement new health guidelines in the next day in order to inhibit the spread of the coronavirus, the South Bend Tribune reported Monday. Einterz said the guidelines could include moving back a stage or two in the state’s reopening plans. Governor Eric Holcomb recently lifted almost all lockdown restrictions Sept. 26 as part of the state’s Phase 5 reopening plan. Masks are still mandated in the county until the end of the year and
statewide through Oct. 17. Einterz and others including members of the Unified Command team, the countr y‘s response team to the coronavirus pandemic, discussed options for additional restrictions Monday morning. The Tribune reported Andy Kostielney, president of the county Board of Commissioners, said he asked Einterz to set up a meeting Tuesday between the Unified Command team, South Bend Mayor James Mueller and Mishawaka Mayor Dave Wood. State statute empowers the county health officer to close schools, churches and social
gatherings, Einterz noted. The Tribune reported COVID-19 hospitalizations were the highest level since late April Friday. Last week, deputy county health officer Dr. Mark Fox said there was no obvious cause of the increase in COVID-19 cases. Einterz said the health department has begun to issue abatement orders — an official notice telling the establishment steps must be taken to improve conditions — to some bars and nightclubs in the county recently, where officials have found conditions that can further the spread of the virus. Health department inspectors have found
Eck Institute hosts webinar to combat COVID myths By LAYTON HALL News Writer
Heidi Beidinger-Burnett and Mary Ann McDowell, both of the University of Notre Dame’s Eck Institute for Global health, are taking on misinformation and misunderstanding of the coronavirus pandemic with their new webinar series called “Consider This! Simplifying the COVID-19 Conversation.” Beidinger-Burnett serves as
the director of the Eck Institute for Global Health and president of the St. Joseph County Board of Health. McDowell, an associate professor of biological sciences and a member of the Eck Institute for Global Health, is an expert in infectious disease and immunology. Through their combined backgrounds, the two doctors said they hope to increase the scientific literacy of the Notre Dame community regarding the virus and public health
policies. “We were finding misconceptions or myths about the science and public health of COVID-19,” BeidingerBurnett said. “The idea for us is to simplify the conversation for people to be more comfortable with the terminology and to be more in control of the information.” Consider This! aims to cut through the growing distrust in
“individuals packed shoulder to shoulder and not wearing masks and in violation of the governor’s orders,” Einterz said. The abatement orders outline the necessary actions and give establishments three days to comply or face closure. Einterz said some requirements such as closing a dance floor would be immediate. “I think there was a misconception on the part of the public and some of the establishment owners and managers that going to Stage 5 meant that ever ything was open and it was business as usual,” Einterz said.
The Na nov ic Inst itute for Europea n Studies hosted a v ir tua l lecture Tuesday t it led “Raphael in Rome,” where Ing rid Rowla nd, professor at Not re Da me’s School of A rchitecture, led a v ir tua l lecture f rom her home in Rome a nd
NEWS PAGE 3
discussed some of her resea rch of Raphael’s work in t he Eterna l Cit y. The f irst ha lf of t he lecture commenced w it h Rowla nd a na lyzing severa l inf luent ia l works of a r t by Raphael. The lecture closed w it h a brief quest ion-a nda nswer session in which pa r t icipa nts, including
VIEWPOINT PAGE 8
see DUNNE PAGE 5
Volunteers sew masks for South Bend schools
CHRISTOPHER PARKER | The Observer
Jennifer Staats, who is sewing masks for students with Burman, said they have created kits for those in the community who want to help. By CHRISTOPHER PARKER
News Writer
Dunne Hall residents received news Monday night that all of the hall’s staff have entered either isolation or quarantine outside of the hall based on University contact tracing, according to an email from Breyan Tornifolio, director of Residential Life rector recruitment, hiring and retention and supervisor of Dunne Hall rector Fr.
see WEBINAR PAGE 3
Virtual lecture explores the influence of Raphael By ELIZABETH PRATER
Observer Staff Report
facu lt y a nd students, posed quest ions for Rowla nd to a nswer. One of t he a r t pieces Rowla nd a na lyzed during t he lecture was “Madonna della segg iola.” It depicts Ma r y embracing Christ while John t he Bapt ist see RAPHAEL PAGE 5
SCENE PAGE 9
News Writer
Elizabeth Burman has been stitching together PPE since the beginning of the pandemic. “I could probably sew a mask in my sleep,” she said. Starting as a lone seamstress who volunteered w ith local charities, Burman has since tapped into the
ND W XCOUNTRY PAGE 16
tri-campus communit y and organized the production of over 4,500 face masks for South Bend schools. Burman moved to Notre Dame three years ago to accompany her husband, Thomas Burman, the Robert M. Conway Director of the Medieval Institute. She quick ly joined the ranks of see MASKS PAGE 4
ND FOOTBALL PAGE 16
