Indiana will be adjusting its COVID-19 restrictions next week. The size of gatherings and events will still be based on a county’s color on the Indiana Department of Health’s metrics map. But rather than setting a limit of a specific number of people, it will instead depend on a facility’s capacity.
Counties coded red or orange will be limited to 25 percent capacity, while those in yellow can be up to 50 percent. Counties coded blue can have events at a facility’s full capacity, but social distancing, face coverings, and other safety precautions will be required. Event organizers will be required to submit safety plans to the local health department. The current gathering limits of 25, 50, 100, or 250 people will remain as recommendations.
Governor Eric Holcomb announced the change during Wednesday’s press conference. “The point of these best practices and public health measures that we’re recommending is that we can control the things that we can control, and we can manage our way through this,” Holcomb explained. “We know what works, but it is a constant balance of our lives and our livelihoods.”
The governor thanked Indiana residents and businesses for their efforts to improve the state’s COVID-19 numbers, but he stressed that we’re not out of the woods yet. “There’s always something new coming our way, and it could be these three different variants from South Africa, Brazil, and the U.K. that are projected in – I guess, it’s anybody’s guess – but maybe March,” he said. “So there’s always something out there lurking.”
Holcomb said he plans to sign the new executive order on Sunday, and it will remain in effect for 30 days.
