Indiana Covid-19 Restrictions Easing

All but four Indiana counties will loosen Coronavirus restrictions another notch on Friday.

Governor Holcomb is loosening restrictions two days ahead of schedule to give people the full holiday weekend. The “Stage 3” order allows gyms, pools, campgrounds, and basketball and tennis courts to reopen, though they’ll still have to take precautions to disinfect equipment and enforce social distancing — Holcomb says the executive order will have seven pages of requirements for swimming pools alone.

GOVERNOR HOLCOMB SAYS IT’S HOOSIERS’ COMMITMENT TO PRECAUTIONS LIKE MASKS AND SOCIAL DISTANCING THAT HAVE MADE THE LOOSENING OF RESTRICTIONS POSSIBLE, BUT WARNS EVERY STEP TOWARD REOPENING RAISES THE CONCERN PEOPLE WILL LET THEIR GUARD DOWN.

STATE HEALTH COMMISSIONER KRISTINA BOX SAYS THE NEXT SCHEDULED PHASE OF REOPENING ON JUNE 14 HINGES ON THE VIRUS’S SPREAD REMAINING UNDER CONTROL DESPITE HAVING MORE PEOPLE OUT AND ABOUT.

A cap on mass gatherings will double to 100 people. Stores and malls, which now are allowed to operate at half capacity, can bump that up to three-quarters.

Raceways can reopen, but without spectators. Recreational sports can resume, but not contact sports, including football and lacrosse. And while playgrounds were originally supposed to be part of this phase, they’re still closed while health officials try to figure out how to keep them disinfected. Box says playgrounds pose a tougher challenge, since it’s hard to stop small children from putting their hands in their mouths.

The order won’t take effect until June 1st in Marion, Lake, and Cass Counties, the same counties excluded from the last reopening order. Monroe County is holding off till June 1st on its own.

Bars, casinos, zoos, museums, and nightclubs are still closed.