Indiana may be easing its COVID-19 restrictions in the coming weeks, but the state health commissioner cautions that the pandemic is far from over. Dr. Kris Box says the number of cases of the more infectious U.K. B.1.1.7 variant is now up to 73 in Indiana, and the state’s positivity rate has risen slightly in the past week.
“Please keep wearing your masks,” Box said during Wednesday’s press conference. “We know it works, and we have seen that in our extremely low influenza rates this season. The science behind masks has not changed, and choosing to wear a mask will continue to protect you and others as we work to get more Hoosiers vaccinated.”
Governor Eric Holcomb said the end of the eight-month statewide mask mandate is not a “mission accomplished moment.” “This is a ‘proceed with caution,’” he said. “This is absolutely a time to take it onward and upward.”
Box noted that none of the three approved vaccines has been authorized for people under 16 yet, leaving more than 1.4 million Hoosiers ineligible for at least the next few months.
