Wear A Mask, Maintain Social Distancing

By Erica Irish 
TheStatehouseFile.com

INDIANAPOLIS — The Memorial Day weekend offered Hoosiers a chance to gather in many parts of the state where restrictions are being lifted as part of Indiana’s plan to reopen from shutdowns imposed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

But state and local officials said some scenes from the weekend troubled them and, in some ways, did not bode well for the progress made on the path to reopening Indiana.

“I want to emphasize that point because I saw reports from around Indiana, and the rest of the country this weekend, of people packed in pools or at restaurants, shoulder-to-shoulder and without masks,” said Indiana State Health Commissioner Dr. Kristina Box in a virtual press briefing Wednesday.  “We do not want to see the number of cases spike because people got tired of these precautions and treated this as an unofficial start to summer and business as usual.”

An additional 370 Hoosiers were diagnosed with COVID-19, bringing the total cases confirmed to 32,437 Wednesday. The state health department also reported an additional 21 deaths related to COVID-19, increasing the total dead to 1,871. Also 159 deaths suspected to be linked to the disease have been reported to date.

Testing also increased, a result of added testing sites and contact tracing that began several weeks ago. As of Wednesday, the state health department confirmed 235,333 tests had been reported, up from 230,749 Tuesday.

Over the holiday weekend, too, more than 100 protestors gathered outside the Indiana War Memorial in downtown Indianapolis to demand Indiana scrap its five-stage reopening plan and resume business without any restrictions. Among the speakers on the steps of the memorial was Robert Hall, who campaigned as a Republican in Indiana’s 9th Congressional District in 2016. He is an organizer with Grassroots Conservatives, which advocates for conservative policies.

Hall said in his remarks the state shutdown, which began on March 25, did little to curb the spread of COVID-19. Among other criticisms, he said state restrictions are “based on faulty flawed models, inaccurate data, and unsupported facts,” and that the shutdown is unconstitutional and unlawful.

When asked about the protest and continued criticism of state restrictions, Gov. Eric Holcomb said he “sleeps well at night” in knowing Indiana’s reopening plan is based on data.

“I live with the consequences of the decisions we make,” Holcomb said. “But I would just continue to appeal to folks’ sense of civic duty. Not just their personal responsibility, but how their liberty can impact someone else’s.”

Holcomb also said that while he respects differences in opinion, large gatherings can endanger protestors because not all positive COVID-19 cases come with symptoms. The latest data from state health officials, for instance, showed around 44.8% of confirmed COVID-19 patients were asymptomatic.

“We have to understand that folks can be asymptomatic and not know that they’re passing this on,” Holcomb said. “When you get into those large, confined gathering areas, that’s when we tend to see the spread occur.”

The tension between liberty and public safety drives decision-making by city and county officials, Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett said in a separate press briefing Wednesday morning. And that commitment has led Indianapolis and Marion County guidance to differ slightly from that offered by state officials.

In the briefing, Hogsett and Marion County Health Commissioner Dr. Virginia Caine also stressed the importance of masks, which are recommended but not mandatory in most areas of Marion County. An exception to this rule is personal care services, like hair salons, spas and tattoo parlors, that will reopen by appointment only on June 1 — there, both employees and patrons must wear masks in order to operate.

“The very best way you can protect others from COVID-19 is by wearing a face covering while in public,” Hogsett said. “When you see someone with a mask, they’re not wearing it for themselves.

“And to those who disagree with the science, or the style, of wearing masks in public, I have an even simpler message: You’re simply wrong.”

To further encourage mask-wearing, Hogsett announced the creation of a new initiative to offer free face coverings to Marion County residents.

While the cost isn’t certain at this time, Hogsett said the he expects the city could spend close to $1 million on the masks. The masks will be provided by a U.S. supplier, city officials said, but the exact partnership is still under negotiation.

Marion County residents can apply for a free mask by visiting indy.gov/masks. Pickup locations will be announced at partner locations throughout the county at a later date.

The state offers masks to businesses through the Indiana Economic Development Corporation’s PPE Marketplace. Additionally, facial coverings are recommended as part of the state’s reopening plan, but they are not required, according to state guidelines.

Box said this is a consideration that will become more important as Indiana prepares to resume operations in places like schools.

Dr. Jennifer Sullivan, secretary of the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration, or FSSA, also joined in the Wednesday press briefing. She explained new data that shows expanded telehealth opportunities led to a historic increase in Medicaid mental health claims between March and April.

In 2019, 6% of all Medicaid mental health services were provided through telehealth — 335 claims. By contrast, in March and April of 2020, 26% of all Medicaid mental health services, or 21,964 claims, were fulfilled through telehealth.

“What we’ve learned in a short period of time is that individuals often prefer this modality, and that mental health providers have found a place for telehealth in their clinical practice,” Sullivan said.

Dr. Jennifer Sullivan of the Family and Social Services Administration at Gov. Eric Holcomb’s COVD-19 virtual press conference Wednesday. TheStatehouseFile.com