Brown County’s six-week stay among counties in the bottom tier of COVID spread is over.
Today, the Indiana State Department of Health moved Brown County to the yellow level, up from blue, because of increased test positivity rates and increased cases over the past seven days.
New rules are now in place in Brown County by order of Brown County Health Officer Dr. Norman Oestrike.
At the yellow level:
<ul>
<li>Business capacity is limited to 75 percent of normal.</li>
<li>Restaurants are restricted to six-foot separation of tables.</li>
<li>Customers inside any business must be masked and signs posted on the door.</li>
<li>Social distancing is required inside businesses.</li>
<li>All staff in businesses must be masked and all staff must be screened before shifts.</li>
<li>High-touch surfaces should be cleaned hourly at a minimum.</li>
<li>Customers are to be masked unless seated in food/restaurant establishments.</li>
<li>Bar areas are to maintain six-foot separation among unrelated parties.</li>
<li>No buffets; cafeteria line service only. No self-service of food, but drink stations are OK.</li>
<li>A safety plan will be required for events over 100 people and will need health department approval. Large events with no plan are limited to 100 people including staff and volunteers. (This limit does not apply to weddings, funerals or churches.)</li>
</ul>
Yellow-level restrictions will be in place in Brown County for at least the next two weeks, until April 28. At that time, restrictions could be increased or decreased depending on what color Brown County is on the ISDH’s map.
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If our color level rises, these restrictions will be put in place:
At the orange level:
<ul>
<li>Same restrictions as yellow with others added or modified below:</li>
<li>Customers and staff in any business must be masked.</li>
<li>Business capacity to be 50 percent of normal.</li>
<li>Bar areas closed for stand-up drinks. All patrons to be seated at tables.</li>
<li>Health department plan and approval required for events over 50 people. Large events without a plan are limited to 50 people.</li>
</ul>
At the red level:
<ul>
<li>Same restrictions as orange with others added or modified below:</li>
<li>All customers and staff in any business must be masked.</li>
<li>Business capacity to be 25 percent of normal.</li>
<li>Bar areas closed; drinks will only be provided for staff to disperse to patrons. No self-service at the bar.</li>
<li>Take-out and curbside delivery encouraged.</li>
<li>Health department plan and approval required for any event. No events over 25 people.</li>
</ul>
Even though the previous statewide mask mandate was dropped to an advisory on April 6, Gov. Eric Holcomb’s order 21-09 put responsibility on local health departments to determine local COVID restrictions, which can be more strict than the state’s. Indiana is still under a public health emergency until at least April 30.
Mask requirements are still in place in all government buildings in Brown County, which includes schools.
Anyone with questions can call the health department at 812-988-2255.
<img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-1699161" src="http://www.bcdemocrat.com/wp-content/files/sites/3/2021/04/COVID-county-restrictions-04142021.jpg" alt="COVID county restrictions 04142021" width="716" height="1007" />
