Governor announces roadmap to reopen Indiana
Friday, Governor Eric J. Holcomb announced the Back On Track Indiana plan to safely open the economy and remain vigilant about protecting Hoosiers’ health and wellbeing.
Details on the plan can be viewed here.
“Across Indiana we have witnessed a spirit of cooperation and caring for others that has touched my heart. May this spirit of appreciation for one another carry on long after the scourge of COVID-19 is behind us,” Gov. Holcomb said. “Hoosiers have done this together and together we will come out a stronger Indiana.”
Gov. Holcomb has used data to drive decisions since the state’s first case of the novel coronavirus in early March and he will continue to do so as the state contemplates a sector-by-sector reset. The state will move to reopen while continuing to monitor and respond to these four guiding principles:
· The number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients statewide has decreased for 14 days
· The state retains its surge capacity for critical care beds and ventilators
· The state retains its ability to test all Hoosiers who are COVID-19 symptomatic as well as health care workers, first responders, and frontline employees
· Health officials have systems in place to contact all individuals who test positive for COVID-19 and expand contact tracing
As we lift restrictions and more people return to work, visit a store or restaurant, and participate in more activities, the number of COVID-19 cases will increase. If we cannot meet these principles, all or portions of the state may need to pause on moving forward or we may return to an earlier phase of the governor’s stay-at-home order.
Indiana Back On Track has five stages. Beginning Monday, May 4, nearly all of Indiana will move to stage 2. For three counties – Cass, Lake and Marion counties – stage 2 will begin at a later date. Phase 2 may begin on Monday, May 11 for Lake and Marion counties. Phase 2 may begin on Monday, May 18 for Cass County. Local governments may impose more restrictive guidelines.
In Stage 2 to protect the most vulnerable to COVID-19, Hoosiers 65 and over and those with high-risk health conditions – who are the most vulnerable to the coronavirus – should remain at home.
Essential travel restrictions will be lifted, and social gatherings of up to 25 people will be permitted following the CDC’s social distancing guidelines.
The remaining manufacturers, industrial and other infrastructure operations that had not been considered essential may open. Hoosiers who can work from home are encouraged to continue to do so.
Retail and commercial businesses may open at 50% capacity. Examples include apparel, furniture, jewelry and liquor stores that have been operating as curbside or delivery only. Shopping malls can open at 50% capacity with indoor common areas restricted to 25% capacity.
Restaurants and bars that serve food may open starting May 11 at 50% capacity, but bar seating will remain closed. Personal services such as hair salons, barber shops, nail salons, spas and tattoo parlors also may open on May 11 by appointment only and must follow social distancing guidelines.
Starting May 8th, for all of the state’s counties, indoor worship services may also convene, following specific social distancing guidelines – while those 65 and older and those at elevated risk will be asked to stay home.
If health indicators remain positive, the state will move to stage 3. To learn more about the different stages and the associated dates to get a better understanding about where we’re going as a state, click here to see the full plan: BackOnTrack.in.gov
Pro: It’s long overdue here in DC plus in a lot of other rural America to pick-up and re-start somewhere/somehow, plus better than the common-senseless nothing of what we were (weren’t) doing.
Con: Still too much common-senseless, big-government control under the guise of “planning” and “protecting.” We’ve known enough about this CHINESE virus, now, to have let folks make their own decisions about assessing their vulnerabilities and taking responsibility for whatever risks they feel/don’t feel comfortable taking – so time to cease with the nanny-state, China-like control over people that got us/kept us in this mess once the hot-spot patterns started developing.
Your “CHINA” virus comment makes you sound embarrassingly bigoted and uninformed.
She has a comment about everything…
That’s because she is. Worse still she and her ilk don’t care about the safety of her neighbors and friends but rather that she has all the comforts of normal life, everyone else be damned! “I shouldn’t have to sacrifice for other people or make my community safer. It infringes on my rights! Look at all these dubious sources I have that confirm my bias.”
The Constitution allows it. It doesn’t make these people any less evil and wretched.
That’s exactly what it is. The nation of China owns this. It is the fault of China as they hid it from the world as long as possible. Therefore, she is correct to call it the CHINA virus.
Why does it bother you that she said that? Is it because it’s what the President called it? That’s right, anything that Trump says is automatically racist, right? I sense a little bit of TDS in your reply.
I don’t want to hide at home because someone else chooses to be irresponsible. By not wearing a mask it shows a disrespect of others.
15 special characters. I am afraid you are regressing. You write like trump speaks. Poorly.
Wu-Tang Forever!
It really is interesting to see the hypocrisy in this comment. Not long ago you were pointing out how texting and driving is dangerous and how police should enforce banning it because you realized other’s actions (texting while driving) has an effect on you (risk of collision) but now that you want to go out and play you ignore that your actions (going out to play) put others at risk (spreading a nasty disease). Apparently many people don’t understand much about this virus to be able to decide the risks they are taking, let alone the risks they are putting other people at. Just go to Rural King or Home Depot and look at the number of people without masks or who bring their kids because they don’t understand the risks. You don’t wear a mask to protect yourself, but rather to protect others from you if you are sick. Rights AND RESPONSIBILITIES. Do you realize that while we only have close to seventy thousands deaths, that those deaths occurred in only two months, during drastic measures designed to slow it down? Without that ‘nanny-state’ guidance (which was only followed by part of the population), it would have been higher? If people actually listened (wore masks, etc.) we wouldn’t have to take such drastic measures.
I try to pay attention to the science and the math though neither was ever my strong suit. I’m becoming weary of it but it’s profoundly sobering to hear the virus has taken more lives than the Viet Nam War. Weary too of the catch phrases, “We’re here for you” ‘We may not be together but we’re not alone”. We ARE each alone in this. We each must take responsibility for ourselves. As “Rosemary” stated, May 2, 2020 11:52 PM, when you don’t wear a mask, it shows disrespect of others. EXACTLY! It’s the very least one can do. Yes you have rights but along with rights comes responsibility.
Notice the glaring differences between the White House’s “Opening Up America Again”
https://www.whitehouse.gov/openingamerica/#criteria
and “Back on Track Indiana”
https://backontrack.in.gov/2348.htm
The curve has not flattened in this state let alone been on a downward slope for 14 days.
Notice the obvious differences in the White House’s criteria “downward trajectory of documented cases within a 14-day period” vs Indiana’s “number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients statewide has decreased for 14 days”. Holcomb is not following his own plan let alone Trump’s plan. Monkey see monkey do.
Has everyone forgotten to pray! Yes, everyone should be wearing a mask for safety but you can’t make someone do that. What we can do is pray. The power of prayer is the greatest.
I am glad Indiana has a plan to start normalish life back up. That is exactly what we need right now: a plan. Even if it isn’t perfect (nothing is) is seem like a pretty solid plan. As far as basing reopening on hospitalizations instead of positive cases, that is likely a better idea since testing is far below where it should be to get close to an accurate count of the actual disease spread. Hospitalizations from COVID-19 is a better indicator because the rate hospitalizations per infected should be constant, so if the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations is going down then the number of actual infections should also be going down. However, I haven’t seen any proof the number of hospitalizations is going down in Indiana, all the data I’ve seen so far seems to indicate it is simply holding steady. (Constant on average – with small dips on weekends likely from lack of testing/reporting with some medical centers closing on weekends and peaks on Monday from catch-up testing and peaks late in the week likely from symptoms showing up from people catching it over the weekend while not following social distancing guidelines)