MICHIGAN CITY, Ind. – Mayor Duane Parry issued an Executive Order on April 7 declaring a “Local Disaster Emergency” in Michigan City. The Order goes into effect at 12:01 a.m. on April 8 and lasts until 11:59 p.m. April 14.

The Common Council could extend the Mayor's Executive Order to 11:59 p.m. May 4.

The order includes but is not limited to:

• A Stay at Home or Place of Residence Order.
• Essential businesses and operations.
• Temporary closure of Washington and Pullman Parks. All playgrounds that have been closed since March 23 will remain closed.
• Areas for passive recreation, like Gardena, Striebel Pond, and the Police Department facility for walking and jogging, will remain open.
• The Marina will remain open with free boat launching offered from 5 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
• A mandatory curfew of 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.
• Out-of-state residents that arrive in the city are required to self-quarantine for 14 days.
• Temporarily prohibit the use of commercial lodging and short-term rentals for vacationing and leisure.
• If needed, the Michigan City Police are empowered to disperse gatherings and can order people to vacate closed sections of parks.

“To the citizens of our community, over the past week the number of people living in LaPorte County that have become infected with COVID-19 virus has increased over 300%. As your Mayor, I cannot stress enough that the actions we take now through the next several weeks will help curb the spread of this virus and save lives. There is nothing that I won’t do as Mayor to protect our residents at this very critical time,” said Mayor Parry.