A statewide face mask order will go into effect Monday. Governor Eric Holcomb announced Wednesday that he’ll soon be signing an executive order.
“Our order will require masks of face coverings for anyone eight years or older while you are in public indoor spaces and commercial entities, when using public transportation or other vehicle services and in outside public spaces when it’s not possible to be socially or physically distanced from people who are not from the same household,” Holcomb said during Wednesday’s press conference.
Students in grades three and up will have to wear masks in school, unless all students and instructors are at least three to six feet apart in the classroom or during outdoor recess, among other exceptions.
Holcomb cited an increase in the positivity rate and hospitalization numbers, as well as increasing spread both inside and outside Indiana. “It’s just a fact,” Holcomb said. “The simple act of covering our faces, as odd as it may feel, can help us prevent the transmission of the virus, which again is why this is the next prudent step that we as a state need to take.”
He said a big goal of the mask order is to allow businesses to stay open. “We want more Hoosiers to continue this trend of going back safely to work,” Holcomb said. “We don’t want to dial it back or put it in reverse or, as some are, shutting down again.”
Indiana State Department of Health Chief Medical Officer Dr. Lindsay Weaver noted that some studies suggest that wearing a face covering can reduce the risk of spread by up to 80 percent. “Face coverings do not result in carbon dioxide elevations or decreased oxygen,” she added.
So far, Governor Holcomb says the state will use an educational approach when it comes to enforcement. “So while not wearing a mask when and where I just stated before is a Class B misdemeanor, please know the mask police will not be patrolling Hoosier streets.” Exceptions to the mandate will also be made for medical purposes, exercise, and eating and drinking.
Locally, Starke, LaPorte, and Marshall counties are already under mask orders. Pulaski County had one previously but repealed it back in May.
