Indiana’s former mask mandate has now become a state advisory, although Gov. Eric Holcomb has said it is up to local communities to decide whether to keep restrictions about mask wearing, or loosen them.
And in check-ins with locations around Columbus and Bartholomew County, it appears more often than not, masks will be requested or required, than not.
Columbus Regional Hospital and Schneck Medical Center are continuing to follow CDC guidelines and will require all patients, visitors and employees to wear masks.
Columbus Regional Health will continue to require masks at its facilities and that the governor’s announcement “doesn’t change anything we’re going to do as an organization,” said CRH spokeswoman Kelsey DeClue.
The hospital system also requires masks to be worn at its vaccination site on Keller Avenue near the hospital, where the hospital continues to vaccinate local residents with Pfizer vaccine.
Bartholomew County Health Officer Dr. Brian Niedbalski, a Columbus Regional Health physician, is urging the Columbus community to continue wearing masks in public places and stores but will not require them after Tuesday in the county, when Indiana’s statewide mask mandate expires.
“Until we achieve higher vaccination numbers, we must remain vigilant,” Niedbalski said in a written statement from the Bartholomew County Health Department. Last week, Indiana moved eligibility for COVID-19 vaccinations to those age 16 and older. A mass vaccination clinic is planned at the Bartholomew County Fairgrounds Saturday using Moderna vaccine, by appointment only. To check availability, go to https://ourshot.in.gov or call 211.
Locally, Niedbalski “strongly encourages” local businesses to require staff and customers to wear masks “for the protection of themselves and others.”
“There will be no ‘requirement,’ although I am hoping businesses will continue to encourage patrons to wear masks,” Niedbalski said. “I believe most individuals will still wear masks in public because they understand it’s the right thing to do to protect themselves and others.”
Schools will require masks
Schools will not be exempt from masks as Holcomb has said face masks will still be required in K-12 schools for the rest of the school year. The COVID-19 Community Task Force has confirmed that masks will continue to be mandatory for all students, staff and visitors to Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. and Flat Rock Hawcreek School Corp. facilities through the end of the school year.
At YES Cinema, which reopened July 3 after a nearly four-month closure, staff will follow the recommendation of the COVID-19 Community Task Force, according to Diane Doup of the managing Lincoln-Central Neighborhood Family Center. The local task force includes health professionals is strongly encouraging people to continue to wear masks and safely distance until at least May 3 before evaluating again.
Since July, YES also has had seats marked off so attendees can safely distance. Plus, staff has instituted stringent cleaning procedures throughout each day.
Among local houses of worship, Grace Lutheran Church will continue its mask requirement for worshippers. But staff has slightly tweaked and relaxed its distancing guideline to be seating people in every other row rather than every third row as before, according to Russell Davies, office manager.
The church which normally sees an Easter crowd of 300 people or more had about 200 people Sunday — well above the normal 100 to 110 weekly recently for its two services combined.
“Some people have said they feel a little more confident now that they’re vaccinated,” Davies said. “And attending church is one of those high-priority activities for them.”
Bartholomew County Public Library director Jason Hatton said that the library will still be requiring properly worn masks for everyone 5 years and older inside library facilities.
“For those who can’t or prefer not to wear a mask, we will continue to offer no-contact curbside pickup,” he said. “Of course, virtual programming continues to be offered to everyone.”
On the restaurant front, Special Dogs co-owner Randy Lapidus said that basically nothing will change at his restaurant, for the time being. Staff will continue to wear face shields, he said, and while face coverings will not be enforced for customers, there will be a sign noting that they are “encouraged.” The restaurant will continue to have “safety precautions” in place, he said.
Business reaction
Kroger will continue to require customers to wear masks inside its stores for now, said company spokesman Eric Halvorson.
According to the supermarket chain’s mask policy, all customers are required to wear masks while shopping inside the store. Customers who cannot wear a mask for medical reasons are encouraged to wear “an alternative option” like face shields or face coverings.
If customers are unable to wear a mask or an alternative option, “we request that they use our e-commerce services like pickup or delivery” and not go inside the store, the policy states. “The policy is reviewed on a weekly basis,” Halvorson said.
Cummins Inc. will continue to require on-site employees to wear masks, citing guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, said Dr. Bob Chestnut, chief medical director at Cummins.
“At this point, there’s a very strong recommendation for even vaccinated people to continue to wear masks in public settings, which would include work,” Chestnut said. “So we will continue to monitor closely for any changes there. We know that mask fatigue and COVID fatigue are definitely out there. With cases unfortunately on the rise again right now, it’s just a very tenuous time for us to reduce our precautions. So in order to maintain our workplace as safe places for our workers, we will definitely be continuing those precautions.”
Willow Leaves, 326 Jackson St., Hope, which has an antique store, restaurant and performance venue, will have supervisors and employees continue to wear masks.
Willow Leaves co-owner Vicki Tedder says they will leave mask wearing for customers to the customer’s personal preference. If someone still wants that comfort of 6 feet social distancing, the employees will respect that decision, she said. However, “if someone is with their own people that they are comfortable sitting with, that’s a different story,” Tedder said. “With a restaurant, it’s a little tricky. They aren’t going to be wearing one when they are eating.”
For months, the Hope retailer has posted signs asking customers to wear their masks. However, Tedder said no staff member has said anything to those who did not follow the governor’s mandate, she said.
When a show starts, the audience may be encouraged them to put their masks on, but they can’t be forced to put one on, Tedder said. Tedder said most customers of Willow Leaves are over 60, and have already been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
“They’ve been so excited about getting their shots than they feel much better about coming in,” Tedder said.
The Columbus Area Visitors Center, 506 Fifth St., plans to continue to require masks in facilities and during tours through at least April 30, said executive director Karen Niverson.
When the end of the month comes around, officials with the Visitors Center will review the spread of the virus, as well as vaccination rates, Niverson said. That review will determine whether the Visitors Center should extend its current requirements or begin loosening restrictions, she said.
“Our tour buses will continue to run at 50% capacity through April 30th,” Niverson said. “Just the nature of being on a tour bus really warrants caution.”
When potential visitors are told precautions are still required, few objections have been voiced to staff members, Niverson said.
“There hasn’t been much push-back from our visitors,” Niverson said. “They seem very happy to comply and to be safe.”
— Reporters Andy East, Jana Wiersema, Mark Webber and Brian Blair contributed to this story.
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To learn more about state executive orders on COVID-19 and the overall pandemic response plan, visit in.gov/gov.
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