As Indiana sees rise in coronavirus cases, governor requires Hoosiers to wear face masks
Indiana joined a growing number of states in the country Wednesday where masks must be worn in public as a measure to halt the spread of the coronavirus.
Gov. Eric Holcomb announced during his weekly coronavirus press briefing that starting Monday everyone over the age of 8 will be required to wear a mask both indoors and outside wherever social distancing is not possible.
Three weeks ago, Holcomb unveiled a public service campaign to encourage mask use but did not require the practice, saying he trusted Hoosiers to do the right thing.
As cases continued to rise — and the start of school drew near — Holcomb said he decided to take the additional step to do what he could to blunt coronavirus in Indiana.
Indiana coronavirus:State sees most cases reported ever, analysis shows
“This is time sensitive now,” he said. “This is the next prudent step that we as a state need to take.”
Several Indiana counties, including Marion, and cities such as Evansville already had put their own measures in place to require masks. Holcomb said in the past that he supported local municipalities making their own decision.
Coronavirus cases rise in rural counties
Earlier in the pandemic, coronavirus cases tended to be concentrated in urban areas or in places that saw a brief spike in cases, such as the outbreak in a Cass County meat packing plant.
In the past week, however, Holcomb said, a number of smaller counties that had not seen much coronavirus activity had started reporting cases in the double digits. In addition, the state has seen coronavirus hospitalizations creep up since the start of the month.
Other states that have seen their numbers increase have reversed their reopening plans in an attempt to squelch viral spread. Rather than move backward with Indiana’s re-opening plan, Holcomb said he opted to mandate masks.
“We as Hoosiers have worked very hard to get to where we are today,” said Holcomb, noting that in Indiana businesses are open and people can get haircuts and dine out. “We want to keep it that way. … We don’t want to dial it back or put it in reverse.”
Exemptions will exist, such as anyone who is eating, drinking, participating in strenuous physical activity or has a medical condition that prevents them from wearing a mask. People will, however, be expected to wear a mask on public transportation.
Technically failing to wear a mask while in public will count as a class B misdemeanor, Holcomb said.
But, he said, enforcement will not be strict, hoping to appeal instead to Hoosiers’ desires to do the right thing.
"Please know that the mask police will not be patrolling Indiana streets," Holcomb said.
Masks help, studies show
Despite naysayers, studies have repeatedly shown that masks can prevent transmission of the coronavirus, a respiratory borne disease. Last week the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended the widespread use of masks. Experts now think that they may not only prevent an infected person from passing on the disease, they think they also may offer the wearer protection.
Public health experts and advocates have been calling on Holcomb to institute a mask order for weeks, but Holcomb said he listened not to the public pressure but to the data. IndyStar photos of people out in public where only about 20% of those pictured wore masks, not the 80% he had hoped to see, also shaped his decision, he said.
“It’s not that the voices got louder, it’s that the numbers got bolder,” he said. “When you see those pictures aligned with the numbers, I’ve seen this movie before, I know how it ends and we’re trying to change that ending.”
Earlier this week President Donald Trump Tweeted for the first time in support of wearing masks, calling it “patriotic.”
Just one hour before Holcomb made his announcement, Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine issued a similar directive, which takes effect tomorrow.
Indiana Democratic gubernatorial candidate Dr. Woody Myers said in a statement that Holcomb took too long to act.
“Governor Eric Holcomb stalled for months, caving to the anti-science conservatives —taking action only when every single state surrounding us implemented a mask order,” his statement read.
'A proven strategy,' chamber president says
Others, however, praised the move, including the Indiana State Medical Association and Indiana Hospital Association.
The Indiana Chamber of Commerce also agreed that the move was necessary to help put Indiana on the road to economic recovery.
Noting that masks are “a proven strategy,” Chamber President and Chief Executive Officer Kevin Brinegar said in a statement that the order is a “necessary step” to reopening Indiana safely.
State health officials said there is no evidence to support anti-maskers’ contention that wearing a mask can lead to lower oxygen or elevated carbon dioxide levels.
Surgeons and other physicians routinely wear masks for hours-long surgeries, as do children being treated for cancer with no ill effects, said Dr. Jennifer Sullivan, secretary of the Family and Social Services Administration and an emergency room physician with Riley Hospital for Children.
“There are lots of reasons to be scared right now,” she said. “Masks are not one of them.”
Contact IndyStar Pulliam Fellow Brooke Kemp at bkemp@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @brookemkemp.
Contact IndyStar digital producer Ethan May at emay@indystar.com or 317-402-1058. Follow him on Twitter: @EthanMayJ.