Indianapolis Business Journal Editorial: Move to ease virus restrictions is reason for some concern
IndyStar Column: Republican politics — not data — forced governor to end Indiana’s mask mandate
INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Democratic Party, the organization that advocates for the future of Indiana and its families, today chose to highlight the blistering coverage Governor Eric Holcomb received across Indiana last week after announcing Indiana would drop its mask mandate on April 6. This announcement came just as the state began to capitalize on the surge of vaccine inventory provided by the Biden-Harris administration via the American Rescue Plan. Holcomb’s announcement has now forced many businesses, schools, and health officials across Indiana to scramble for a responsible solution to this new problem: protecting Hoosier lives.
Since the start of COVID-19, Gov. Holcomb has claimed he used the “facts on the ground” to guide Indiana through and out of the pandemic. However, the receipts do not match the rhetoric, and too often, Holcomb adhered to his political party’s demands over common-sense. This very fact is why voters have started to lose trust in the Indiana Republcian Party.
Holcomb’s track record is exactly why the Indiana Democratic Party warned on March 3 that doing away with the state’s mask mandate and rushing Indiana out of the COVID-19 pandemic would put more lives at risk. In fact, Democrats are calling for more responsible and thoughtful solutions to the state’s biggest problems, letting science and truth — not partisanship — guide Indiana and its families to a better future and better opportunity.
Here’s what Hoosiers have been reading since Eric Holcomb announced the end of Indiana’s mask mandate:
Businesses, Schools, Local Health Officials Forced to Protect Hoosiers
Associated Press: Indiana to lift mask mandate amid concern: ‘We’re not ready’
IndyStar: “Businesses are waiting to see if local officials will enforce the mandate, but many say they’ll maintain the requirement until the health risk decreases.”
NOTE: Businesses include Whole Foods Market, Walmart, Kroger, Shapiro’s Delicatessen, and Patachou Inc.
WPTA (Fort Wayne): Business, customer contemplate life after statewide mask mandate gets lifted in Indiana
Muncie Star Press: Officials in Delaware County and region unsure about dropping mask mandate quite yet
WCPO (Cincinnati): “[Business owner Michael] Keith said he’ll continue to follow scientists’ advice over politicians’: “We’ll still try to keep six feet apart. We’re doing masks, making sure everybody wears masks when they come in.”
WTHI (Terre Haute): “Many Hoosiers are getting tired of wearing masks. However, local health officials are still encouraging them to do so even when the mask mandate expires on April 6th.”
WEHT (Evansville): “Indiana’s mask mandate is set to be lifted on April 6, but not everyone is resorting to life as we knew it before COVID-19. Some business owners tell Eyewitness News their employees will need to keep wearing masks, keep customers socially distanced, and sanitize highly touched surfaces often.”
IDS News: Monroe County will keep mask mandate despite statewide COVID-19 restrictions ending
IndyStar: Indianapolis will retain mask mandate despite governor ending its version, mayor says
South Bend Tribune: Elkhart officials quiet on how they’ll respond to Holcomb ending mask order
Kokomo Tribune: Local officials to discuss future of mask mandate, business restrictions
Goshen News: Many Goshen business owners will still require masks, ask for patience
Notre Dame Observer: University to maintain safety protocols as vaccinations increase
Holcomb Panned for Rushing End to COVID-19 Pandemic
IndyStar Column: Governor’s decision to end Indiana’s mask mandate is flat-out dumb
“Out of all of Holcomb’s inexplicable pandemic decisions, this one is the most blatantly political. There is no explanation for why two weeks from now is the right time to end the mandate until you remember that some of the people taking the greatest offense to masks happen to be Republican lawmakers who’ve been threatening Holcomb and other public officials.
Holcomb, when asked in September about whether lawmakers would be required to wear masks during the Indiana General Assembly session, said they “rule their own roost.” It turns out that their domain extends well beyond the Statehouse…”
Indianapolis Business Journal Editorial: Move to ease virus restrictions is reason for some concern
South Bend Tribune Editorial: Indiana’s governor has advice, not an order, on masks. Will anyone listen?
INGOP Civil War Putting Lives at Risk
IndyStar: “While the governor attributed his decision to data on the spread of the pandemic during his statewide address, it’s clear Republican legislators have been pressuring him intensely, pushing for a number of pieces of legislation that would curb his emergency powers. Some have been bottled up, but others have advanced.
Chad Kinsella, a Ball State political science professor, indicated Holcomb was in a bind. In Indiana, the General Assembly arguably has more power than the governor, especially when it’s in session. And lawmakers surely were watching the leaders in other red states lift mask mandates and other restrictions.
“I’m sure that he’s feeling that pressure,” Kinsella said. “I’m sure that he is very aware that if he ignores the state legislature or gets them a little too angry at him, that they can act and that could be a political embarrassment.”
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