Changes to COVID-19 crowd sizes go into effect today

This is the first day for Indiana’s new coronavirus restriction rules with limits on crowds based on a county’s color on the Indiana State Department of Health coronavirus spread tracking map.

Most counties in Indiana are orange, which means they can have 25 percent of their usual crowds. Yellow counties in Indiana can have 50 percent of their normal crowds. Social gatherings are also limited, with a total of 25 people being allowed in red counties, 50 in orange counties and 100 in yellow counties.

Blue counties are allowed to resume normal operations, but there aren’t any blue counties in Indiana right now.

Locally, Bartholomew, Brown, Decatur, Jackson and Jennings counties are all orange on the state advisory level map, while Johnson and Shelby counties are in the red. A county must maintain daily statistics at a lower advisory level for two weeks before it can be moved to that lower level.

Bartholomew County reported 36 new cases of the disease yesterday, Decatur 9, Jennings 5, Jackson 19, Brown 2, Johnson 30 and Shelby County had 11 new cases. There were no new deaths reported in our area yesterday.

Statewide, Indiana reported 1,750 new cases and five new deaths with a 7-day positivity rate of 8.5 percent.