March 22, 2020 - 6:26 AM
HAMMOND, Ind. - The Indiana Welcome Center in Hammond is closing for a deep cleaning and disinfecting to fight the spread of the coronavirus.
The South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority posted a notice on its website announcing the temporary closure of the tourist information centre located just off Interstates 80-94, The (Northwest Indiana) Times reported.
The Welcome Center will be closed until further notice, Convention and Visitors Authority spokeswoman Erika Dahl said.
The agency decided to close the centre because of the growing number of people infected with the virus and the large number of people who pass through the centre __ upwards of 400,000 people per year, Convention and Visitors Authority President and CEO Speros Batistatos said.
"They're travelling to Chicago or coming out of Chicago or from all over the map," he said. "We felt it was best to do our fair share to stop this from spreading. We don't want the virus entering Northwest Indiana from our welcome centre."
The Welcome Center includes a gift shop, free travel brochures and the W. F. Wellman Exhibit Hall that has been exhibiting a colorful display of antique and classic cars.
News from © The Associated Press, 2020