INDIANAPOLIS - Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb stated during his weekly coronavirus news conference Wednesday he is highly recommending people wear masks when they can’t practice social distancing. He even went so far as call it our “patriotic duty”.

Governor Eric Holcomb was asked Wednesday why the state has not mandated wearing masks in public. The Governor said he “believes in Hoosiers” and “believe Hoosiers are doing the right thing”.

The Governor extended his Emergency Executive Order until the end of July. He also changed some his Indiana Back on Track schedule calling it 4.5 instead 5.0.

July 4th is when 4.5 will move forward. The 5.0 schedule will move forward as previously planned with the exception of restaurants, bars and entertainment venues, which will stay under 4.0 rules.

In addition the measure calls for crowds to stay under 250 people.

Stage 5 was originally planned to begin Saturday. Stage 4.5 is in place for July 4 to July 17.
Outdoor events, like fairs, festivals, youth overnight camps and horse racing will be allowed to resume, following Stage 5 guidelines.

The Governor also asked Hoosiers to participate in the state's public awareness campaign by downloading a poster on coronavirus.in.gov/maskuphoosiers and writing in their motivation for wearing a mask and posting a photo or video to social media with the hashtag #MaskUpHoosiers.