Staff Reports
Gov. Eric Holcomb on Wednesday said Indiana will remain paused at Stage 4.5 for at least another month due to the state’s COVID-19 testing positivity rate.
Holcomb said during the state’s weekly news conference he would issue an executive order to keep the state—including Johnson County—in Stage 4.5 of its pandemic recovery plan through Aug. 27.
Holcomb said he is also extending the state’s landlord moratorium on evictions though Aug. 14. The moratorium prohibits landlords from initiating court proceedings to kick out their tenants.
Holcomb first announced Stage 4.5 of the Back on Track Indiana plan July 4. It was initially supposed to cover the period from July 4-17, but the governor extended it. Stage 4.5 was not part of the state’s original plan but was implemented when officials became wary of moving from Stage 4 to Stage 5, representing full recovery with no restrictions on businesses and social behavior.
Instead, a statewide face mask mandate went into effect Monday as health officials have raised worries about Indiana’s number of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.
Local governments are allowed to issue more stringent plans.
In Johnson County, which so far has not issued any additional orders, 1,586 people have been diagnosed with COVID-19, and 118 have died. That’s an increase of 110 positive cases in a week, and more than 350 in a month. The county has not reported any new deaths since June 21, according to the Indiana State Department of Health.
The county’s seven-day average COVID-19 testing positivity rate was 6.9% on July 22, the last date available, slightly higher than the state’s 6.8% average, data shows.
State health officials added eight more COVID-19 fatalities to the state’s death toll, raising that to 2,932 since mid-March. Indiana’s COVID-19 hospitalizations have grown by about 50% since late June, while the seven-day average of newly recorded coronavirus infections has more than doubled during that time to about 800 cases.
Also on Wednesday, another of Indiana’s largest school districts announced it would not have students return to classrooms until October as school leaders struggle with reopening decisions.
Indianapolis Public Schools officials said they would conduct all classes online until at least October. They said that “will allow more time for the number of COVID-19 cases in Marion County to stabilize and decrease to a less dangerous level.”
Several other school districts around the state have also decided to begin the academic year online. Most in Johnson County delayed their start dates, and some have opted to take a hybrid learning approach, but none have moved to an entirely remote format.
Students in Edinburgh Community Schools returned to buildings today for the first time since March.
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Here is a look at some highlights in Stage 4.5 of the state’s Back on Track Indiana Plan, which is now set to expire Aug. 27:
– Social gatherings, following the CDC’s social distancing guidelines, will be limited to up to 250 people. This limit applies to wedding receptions, parties, and other events where people are in close physical contact for extended periods of time, particularly indoors. But “special or seasonal events” such as summer concerts, outdoor movies showings, fairs, festivals, carnivals, parades, graduation ceremonies, conventions, fundraisers, sport or racing competitions, outdoor shows or other outdoor entertainment events, are allowed to have more than 250 people in attendance if a safety plan has been approved by local health officials in advance. This would apply, for example, to the Indianapolis 500, which is expected to run with 25% of the fans that attend a typical race on Aug. 23.
– Dining room food service may continue operations at up to 75% capacity as long as social distancing is observed. Bar seating in restaurants may operate at 50% capacity. Bars and nightclubs may operate at 50% capacity as long as they adhere to social distancing guidelines.
– Cultural, entertainment and tourism sites may operate at 50% capacity.
– Movie theaters, bowling alleys and similar facilities may operate at 50% capacity.
—Gyms, fitness centers and other workout facilities may operate with restrictions.
—Personal services, such as hair and nail salons, may operate with restrictions.
– Amusement parks, water parks and similar facilities may operate at 50% capacity. Reservations are encouraged to limit the number of customers at any one time.
– Raceways may operate at 50% grandstand capacity.
—K-12 schools are allowed to open and resume extra-curricular and co-curricular activities, but local school districts are allowed to choose to delay opening. In Indianapolis, schools are planning to start the year entirely virtually.
– Fairs, festivals and other similar outdoor events may open. Pari-mutuel horse racing and county and state fair racing may begin with 50% spectator capacity. Youth overnight camps may open.
—State government offices will open Aug. 17.
Source: Indianapolis Business Journal
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