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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowIndiana Gov. Eric Holcomb is working on tweaks to his existing five-stage reopening roadmap based on data his team is reviewing and plans to share new details later this week.
Holcomb said during Monday’s press briefing that he will issue updated guidelines on Wednesday to give people time to prepare for any changes before Sunday.
“I want to make sure the next steps that we take, either accelerating or decelerating, are done safely,” Holcomb said.
Under the existing state plan, all counties have technically moved into stage two with retailers, restaurants and personal services beginning to reopen with certain restrictions.
Local governments have been allowed to impose more stringent restrictions, though, and some have chosen to do so. For example, in Marion County, Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett has kept personal services closed through at least the end of the month and restaurants are still limited to takeout and delivery only until Friday, when in-person dining outdoors will be allowed.
Stage 3 of Holcomb’s roadmap, scheduled to start Sunday for the entire state, is set to increase the social gathering limit from 25 people to 100, allow retailers to go from operating at 50% capacity to 75% capacity, let fitness centers reopen and allow movie theaters to open at 50% capacity.
Restaurants would remain at 50% capacity under Stage 3, and bars would remain closed.
Stage 3 is currently scheduled to last until June 13.
The five-stage plan eyes July 4 as the date when restrictions are completely lifted, but Holcomb has maintained that the date could change.
His administration is considering the number of COVID-19 patients hospitalized, the availability of intensive care beds and ventilators, and the state’s testing and contact tracing ability when determining whether to loosen or tighten restrictions.
As of Monday, the state had 28,255 positive cases and 1,621 individuals have died from COVID-19.
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It is difficult following all of the C19 news. Has Indiana met the WH set standard for further re-opening? I recall something about a 14 day downward trajectory in new cases and deaths. Has that been happening?