Indiana governor orders mask mandate

Indiana Governor Erick Holcomb announced Wednesday afternoon that the state is putting into effect a mask mandate, which will be effective on Monday, July 27th.

The governor says local regions can have more restrictive mandates than the state does, and that the initial approach will be to educate residents on the need for masks. However, he also says there could be penalties for those who violate the mandate.

Similar to the mandate announce by Ohio Governor Mike DeWine (click here to read the latest on that), the Indiana mandate has exceptions for “medical purposes, disabilities, exercising, eating & drinking.” The mandate also requires any students in the 3rd grade or higher to wear masks if they return to school.

The mandate overall applies to people 8 and older. It requires people to wear face coverings at “public indoor spaces, commercial entities, public transportation & vehicle services like taxi/ride share, outdoor public spaces when you can’t socially distance from people who aren’t in your household.”

Indiana has reported an increase in cases. “As we continue to monitor the data, we’ve seen a concerning change in some of our key health indicators. Hoosiers have worked hard to help re-open our state & we want to remain open,” said a statement from the governor on twitter.

Cox Media Group