The state of Indiana and its capital Indiana have gone through several stages of reopening the economy amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. In March the state laid out its plans to reopen, through a four-stage plan and series of reopening’s. The relevancy of the prior stages and details of those, while critical, does not represent the current state of affairs, which we will outline here. Beginning March 23rd the Indianapolis area has gone through four stages of reopening.
Indianapolis now stands at stage five, which we will layout in terms of local guidelines. Stage five began on September 26th and is expected to run through November 14th. What will come after that will depend on the state of the pandemic.
Mask Mandate and Social Distancing
The State of Indiana is requiring all individuals under Executive Order 20-46 to wear a face covering in public. This is in-line with the CDC requirements which state that children ages two and over should be wearing a mask when in public and especially when social distancing is not possible.
As far as social distancing goes, Indiana is also requiring social distancing of six feet in public spaces, and when you are in close contact with folks not directly in your household.
Restaurants, Gyms, and Other Businesses
If you are living in Indianapolis or visiting Indiana, please note that restaurants and bars that offer food service can open at full capacity. The bar section of these establishments must require customers to be in a seat if they are at a table or a counter location. These establishments also need to ensure individuals have six feet of space between one another. The same goes for night clubs, which can open but require seating and six feet of spacing. These businesses are expected to disinfect high trafficked areas like their restrooms and can use electrostatic disinfection services to aid in their efforts.
Gyms are also open as part of stage five, with normal operations being the expectation. A face covering as well as social distancing is a requirement for these facilities to operate. Gym establishments need to consider limiting class sizes and spacing out exercise equipment so that they can keep folks six feet apart. Gyms are encouraged to use COVID disinfection services to help stop the spread of COVID.
Other businesses that can open include indoor and outdoor venues, as well as gatherings of varying sizes. If you have a gathering of over 500 people a health plan needs to be submitted to the board of health before it takes place.
Vigilant on Hygiene
An important trend and guideline for a successful stage five of the COVID reopening is the focus on hygiene. To business owners this means keeping their brick and mortars disinfected, employing commercial cleaning services and considering bathroom cleaning services near them. For the public this means regularly washing your hands and trying to avoid high-contact surfaces whenever possible.
Businesses also need to do their part with regular cleaning. Something like a gym, per the CDC guidance for COVID-19, says high-contact surfaces should get a cleaning every two hours, with a deep cleaning periodically as well. Professional cleaning service providers such as Enviro-Master can be considered to assist with cleaning practices. With these guidelines in mind, Indiana continues to reopen one stage at a time.
