Governor extends mask mandate for another month

Governor Holcomb is extending Indiana’s mask mandate, but says he won’t reimpose restrictions on restaurants and bars.

Our news-gathering partners at Network Indiana are reporting that Holcomb says the problem isn’t the lifting of capacity limits on restaurants and bars, but that too many people are holding big gatherings without masks or social distancing. Holcomb says many new infections have been traced back to weddings or family gatherings where people failed or refused to wear masks.

The governor says he understands “mask fatigue” is setting in, but says capacity limits aren’t the issue. He notes the Indianapolis Colts and Indy Eleven successfully admitted thousands of fans to Lucas Oil Stadium by enforcing mask and distancing precautions.

There are more Hoosiers in the hospital with coronavirus than at any time since mid-May, and Indiana’s five highest one-day totals for new cases have all come in the last week. The state has diagnosed more than 11,000 new cases in that span. About 400 Hoosiers are in intensive care with coronavirus, the most since May.

Holcomb says the virus’s resurgence across the Midwest is a reminder that people need to do what they can to reduce the odds of the virus’s spread, with masks being one of the main steps within people’s control. He says not masking up represents a disregard for fellow Hoosiers.

The mask mandate has been extended to Nov. 14

Holcomb says he’ll reevaluate whether to reimpose restrictions in another week.