By The Indianapolis Business Journal
INDIANAPOLIS — The city of Indianapolis will keep in place its mask mandate and other existing restrictions tied to the pandemic indefinitely, Mayor Joe Hogsett announced Thursday morning.
Hogsett’s proclamation followed Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb’s announcement on Tuesday that he would lift similar statewide restrictions in early April.
Hogsett said Thursday he plans to take a “common sense approach” to determining when the city will lift its restrictions through continued conversations with the Marion County Department of Public Health.
“We will not repeal our mask mandate or our capacity restrictions,” he said. “We will continue to exercise the local authority granted to us by the state to keep Indianapolis on the right track.”
Marion County restaurants and many other businesses are restricted to 75% indoor capacity, to allow for social distancing.
On Tuesday, Holcomb said he will allow all statewide COVID-19 restrictions, including the mask mandate and capacity restrictions, to expire after April 5. He will renew the public health emergency order—set to expire April 1—for another 30 days, because that could impact federal funding.
However, he allowed local governments to determine themselves when to alter their own restrictions.
“I personally am grateful to the governor for giving us the flexibility to address the risks that are unique to our particular community,” Hogsett said. “I’m sensitive to the fact that the governor and his decision making has to take into consideration 92 counties.”
