The following are my notes from listening to Governor Holcomb’s press conference on May 1st. He indicated four guiding principles followed by a five step approach to opening the state. He said these are state level directives, but that local communities can choose to be more restrictive.
His four guiding principles are summarized in a slide:
I’ll talk a bit more on the four guiding principles later in this post.
The Governor outlined five stages for opening the state by July 4th, Independence Day. These are complex in that some counties (Lake, Cass, Marion) open at different times and different areas open at different percentages.
- Five Stage Process to get Indiana back on track by July 4th, Independent day (subject to change)
- Stage 1 – What we are currently in stage 1 as of March 24th.
- Since Monday, Hoosiers could do elective procedures.
- K-12 schools have been closed and activities have been closed.
- Stage 2 rolls out over next 3 weeks.
- Nearly all of Indiana will start Stage 2 on May 4th.
- Lake and Marion County start Stage 2 on May 11th
- Cass County – starts Stage 2 on May 18th
- Lake County – starts stage 2 on May 11th.
- Easing restrictions
- Lifting essential travel restriction
- State/government offices opened for limited interaction
- Social gatherings of up to 25 people
- Restaurants and bars serving food open at 50% capacity starting May 11th. Bar seating is to remain closed.
- Manufacturing and other business will be able to open
- Retail can open at 50% capacity (things such as appear, jewelry, shopping malls, etc.). Indoor common areas restricted at 25% capacity for malls
- Personal services such as stylists, tattoos, etc. can open, but with appointments only starting May 11th
- Workers are encouraged to continue working from home if possible.
- Starting May 8th – Indiana worship services may also open following social distancing guidelines.
- 65 and older or high-risk asked to stay home.
- Do outdoor and virtual services if possible.
- Stage 3 – May 24th.
- At risk can venture out cautiously
- Social gatherings of up to 100 people
- Retail stores and malls can go to 75% of capacity
- Movie theaters can open at 50%
- Mall common areas can open to 50% capacity
- Playgrounds, gyms, pools, and such can open with restrictions and social distancing.
- Stage 4 – June 14th
- Face coverings optional
- Zoos, museums can open at 50% capacity
- Social gatherings of up to 200 people
- Large venues can open with adherence to social guidelines
- State office and professional offices can open at full capacity
- Malls and retail can go to full capacity
- Dining room can open to 75% capacity
- Bar seating can open at 50% capacity
- Recreational sports and leagues can open and resume
- Water parks and such can open at 50% capacity
- Stage 5 – July 4th
- Fairs, festivals, sporting events can resume
- Bars, retail, restaurants can go back to full capacity
- Amusement park, water parks, and such will have restrictions lifted.
- At this time we will determine what to do with the next school year.
- Stage 1 – What we are currently in stage 1 as of March 24th.
These are my notes, so they might be off a tad bit. The governor referenced a site for more information. That site is BackOnTrack.in.gov.
Four Steps
The four guiding principles for getting Indiana back on track were posted above in an image. The governor stated that they were looking for two weeks of a downward trend before moving to open the state. He presented the following graphic indicating hospitalizations are down, so he is ready to move forward:
He also indicated that bed capacity as well as ventilators were at acceptable levels to open:
Indiana Small Business PP Market Place and COVID Relief
The Indiana Small Business PPE Market Place is being created. This will work with businesses and no profit entities fewer than 150 employees and registered in Indiana will be eligible for this program, which will help them get the PPE supplies they need. More will be forthcoming from the governor’s office on this program.
In addition to creating this new entity, the state will be releasing $300,000,000 to towns, cities and counties across the state based on a distribution formula. This indicated to be the first installment of COVID relief.
My Summary
Overall, the approach is to have the state opened by July 4th so that state fairs and other events can happen later this year. This is all subject to change based on how the data changes. For now, the state of Indiana is looking to move forward with opening. Time will tell if it is too soon.
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