Hogsett Details ‘Clear Path Forward’ to Reopening
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowIndianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett and Marion County Public Health Director Dr. Virginia Caine have announced a road map for Marion County to potentially fully reopen from the pandemic. The mayor says current restrictions are expected to remain in place until June 7.
Among the changes set for June 7, residents who are fully vaccinated will no longer be required to wear a mask, except for in hospitals and public transportation areas, including Indianapolis International Airport. Hogsett says businesses and venues will also be allowed to enforce mask wearing if they wish.
Caine says several capacity restrictions will be loosened as well. Those restrictions include:
- Religious services and funerals will go from 75% capacity to 100%.
- Indoor service in bars and restaurants will rise to 75%.
- Personal services businesses will no longer need to go by appointment, but must maintain six feet of social distancing for non-vaccinated clients.
- Indoor sports or other large events will increase to 50% capacity.
- Entertainment and cultural venues will increase to 75% capacity.
- Large gatherings will move from a maximum of 50 people to 500 people.
The mayor says the June 7 date was chosen for several reasons, the primary reason being that it is the date of the next meeting of the Indianapolis City-County Council, which now has to approve all changes to public health orders as a result of a new state law passed earlier this year.
Hogsett adds waiting until June 7 allows the city to get past the Indy 500, as well as other large gatherings such as proms and graduations, in a safe manner. It also gives the city an additional two and a half weeks for residents to get vaccinated.
“The vaccine is getting us back to normal,” Hogsett said. “The more people who choose that option, the stronger and the faster will be our recovery. And through additional resources and encouragement, I believe that by this July, we can rally to have at least half of our eligible population vaccinated. Reaching that goal, could allow us to further reduce the restrictions that keep our population safe.”
Caine says the Marion County Public Health Department will recommend a complete removal of restrictions when the county has 50% fully-vaccinated residents and fewer than 100 cases per day. She says she hopes to reach the milestone by the Fourth of July, but she also issues caution.
“This welcome news for our community does not mean that the end of the pandemic is here yet,” Caine said. “Our progress gives us hope that there’s light at the end of the pandemic tunnel, but we can’t be blindsided by the light. So, if we continue to do the things that we now know protect ourselves and those we love from COVID-19 – getting the vaccine, washing our hands and continuing to social distance and wear masks for now – the full reopening of our community is within our reach.”
Caine says 31% of Marion County residents are currently fully vaccinated. The county also has a 5.8% positivity rate as of May 11 and the rate continues to trend downward.
You can watch the full announcement, courtesy of our partners at WISH-TV, by clicking here.