State Health Commissioner Urges Worshipers to Keep Wearing Masks in Church for Now

State Health Commissioner Dr. Kris Box demonstrates how to put on a face mask during a COVID-19 briefing in 2020.

The idea of churches not requiring face masks is drawing concern from the state health commissioner. During Wednesday’s press conference, Dr. Kris Box noted that there may still be some high-risk individuals who haven’t been vaccinated yet.

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One Year after COVID-19’s Arrival, State Officials Are Cautiously Optimistic

Today marks one year since Indiana reported its first case of COVID-19. It was on the morning of Friday, March 6, 2020 when state officials announced that a Marion County resident who had recently traveled to Boston had tested positive for the coronavirus. A week later, schools began to close, and a couple weeks after that, Indiana was under a stay-at-home order.

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Gov. Holcomb Sticking with Mask Order As Some States Lift Theirs

Gov. Holcomb speaks during his weekly COVID-19 press conference on Mar. 3.

While some states are lifting their mask mandates, Governor Holcomb wants Indiana to continue on its current path. “In regards to Texas and Mississippi . . . good on them,” Holcomb said during Wednesday’s COVID-19 press conference. “They’ve got great leaders. But I’m looking at very local information. I’m very Indiana-centric about this, and I’m really happy about the path that we’re on to get to that light at the end of the tunnel.”

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Teachers to Be Eligible for COVID-19 Vaccine under Federal but not State Guidelines

Indiana teachers will soon be able to get the COVID-19 vaccine, but how exactly they’ll be able to do that is complicated. “We received word from the federal government that they were going to provide doses to the federal pharmacy program for teachers to become prioritized across the country, obviously, including here in the State of Indiana,” Governor Holcomb said during Wednesday’s COVID-19 press conference.

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Governor Responds to Last Week’s House Debate over John Glenn School Annexation Bill

Gov. Holcomb speaks during his weekly COVID-19 briefing on Feb. 24.

Last week’s heated debate over a bill that would let the John Glenn School Corporation try to annex territory from the South Bend Community School Corporation that began in Indiana House of Representatives and spilled out into the hallway has drawn a response from Governor Holcomb.

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Governor to Extend COVID-19 Restrictions by another Month

Gov. Holcomb speaks during a COVID-19 press conference on Feb. 24.

Indiana’s current COVID-19 restrictions will remain in place for another 30 days. During his weekly press conference Wednesday, Governor Eric Holcomb said he plans to extend both his executive order and the public health emergency declaration. “We have made remarkable progress in relatively a short period of time,” Holcomb said. “This is not a ‘mission accomplished’ moment.”

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