.@GovHolcomb's #coronavirus briefing about to begin.
Sunday was the scheduled date for further relaxation of Indiana's #CoronavirusLockdown, but Holcomb is moving that up to Friday. He says "We've earned the ability to go forward," because most people have been wearing masks and social distancing.
Marion, Lake and Cass Counties, which were delayed in the last loosening of restrictions, will be delayed on this one too, until June 1. That aligns with local plans in Marion County, and in Monroe County, which isn't required to wait by the state but is doing so on its own.
The city of Gary has its own restrictions separate from the rest of the county; it's not even doing its first loosening of restrictions till Friday.
Raceways can reopen Friday.
State is extending ban on new foreclosures/evictions and utility disconnects to July 1; previously scheduled to expire June 4.
Other restrictions being relaxed Friday:
--gyms, playgrounds, campgrounds, tennis and basketball courts can reopen but must practice social distancing
--cap on mass gatherings raised from 50 to 100
--movie theaters can reopen at half capacity
Stores and malls, now limited to half capacity, can move up to 75% capacity on Friday,
Bars, nightclubs, casinos, entertainment and cultural venues, most sports venues remain closed.
ISP Superintendent Doug Carter says there have been 22,000 fewer highway crashes and 25 fewer deaths compared to this time last year. He says it's not just that people aren't on the roads; he believes people are driving more carefully.
Contact sports still on hold, including high school football practice; school facilities remain closed.
Holcomb says his executive order, to be issued tomorrow, will include guidance and recommendations on new protocols, in addition to what's open/what's closed. He says there's 7 pages on pools alone.
ISDH Commissioner Kris Box says she doesn't know if there's an underlying cause for a burst of cases in Elkhart County. The county's case count has doubled in two weeks, with nearly 400 new cases. Box says it may simply be the result of more testing.
Next round of loosened restrictions scheduled for June 14, but Holcomb says "mark it in pencil." He and Box say just as the success of the last three weeks allowed Friday's further loosening, the next three weeks will determine whether the state meets June 14 goal.
Box and Holcomb say #casinos are "contemplated" to reopen June 14, definitely not before. The Gaming Commission has released guidelines for what casinos will have to do when the time comes.
Playgrounds, originally scheduled to be part of this phase, aren't reopening yet. Box says they're still sorting out how to disinfect equipment which is touched by multiple people -- especially since those people are small children, who often put their hands in their mouths.
Box says if current infection/hospitalization rates hold steady, next phase of loosened restrictions could come on schedule 6/14. But she says she's concerned about cumulative effect; will watch test data to make sure more people out & about doesn't create new cascade of spread.
Box: only one confirmed Indiana case of multisystem inflammation syndrome. ISDH retrospectively reviewed a couple of older cases but concluded they weren't MIS-C.
Holcomb: "This is a public health issue that comes down to individual actions....What I don't want to see happen is that we let our guard down."
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