John,

It’s time to mask up, Hoosiers! 

Today, Eric issued a statewide mask mandate in order to keep at-risk Hoosiers safe and help our recovery along. Here’s what he had to say:

“When I asked you months ago to hunker down, you did. We did. We slowed the spread. It's just factual. We protected our hospitals. While we have continued to fare better than many other states, now we have to hunker down in a different way. Which is why wearing masks will become the fashion of the day.” - Governor Eric Holcomb

Wearing your mask is an easy way to make sure Hoosiers stay healthy, our businesses stay open, and our students can safely return to school when the time comes. 

Many Indiana counties are already under local mask ordinances and the governor’s statewide mandate will be effective for the rest of the state on Monday, July 27. 

We had our team pull together the best reasons to wear a mask, but we want to hear your reasons, too!

• Slow the spread - This one’s basic, but incredibly important. Face coverings can and do blunt the spread of COVID-19. It’s that simple.
• Keep our businesses open - Our local businesses are always there for us, and we need to be there for them. The better we are about wearing masks, the more businesses can stay open and the better off our economy will be.
• Protect at-risk Hoosiers - Wearing a mask helps keep Hoosiers who are at-risk for COVID-19 safe. Being a good neighbor starts with wearing a mask!
• Keep your family safe - Nothing is more important than protecting your loved ones, and Eric’s mask mandate is helping keep them safe.
• Get Hoosier students back to school - Hoosier students are counting on us to be responsible and wear masks. The more people wear masks, the faster they’ll be able to get back in the classroom.

Why are we doing this? Eric pointed to several reasons that a statewide mask mandate is now needed:

• We’ve seen an increase in the COVID-19 positivity rate.
• Hospitalizations related to COVID-19 have been ticking up.
• Surrounding states are seeing an increase in positive COVID-19 cases.

Wearing masks is a safe and simple way to slow the spread of COVID-19. 

Please be a part of the solution and wear a mask.

What’s your number one reason for wearing a mask? Share it with us below!

Thanks for reading — we’ll be in touch soon. 

-Your Holcomb Crew