face mask

Warsaw Community Schools are requiring face masks for all students, teachers and staff to line up with new state guidance that eases COVID-19 quarantine requirements for schools that implement universal mask mandates. The mandate was adopted during the Sept. 7 board meeting.

Berrien County health officials say the county is still seeing a steady rise in COVID-19 transmission.

Starting Thursday, Sept. 9, students, staff and visitors at all Goshen Community Schools will have to wear a mask indoors. 

Kindergarten through sixth grade students have had to wear a mask since Aug. 23, while staff and visitors at the district’s K-6 schools have had to wear them since Aug. 12.

The St. Joseph County Health Department is urging all county K-12 schools to implement universal indoor mask mandates. That follows Centers for Disease Control guidance recommending students, teachers, staff and visitors all wear masks indoors regardless of vaccination status.

Gov. Eric Holcomb said he’ll be monitoring Indiana’s COVID-19 data as the State Fair begins. But he’s convinced it will be safe.

State health officials say they’re not mandating masks in K-12 schools amid a surge of COVID-19 in part because local officials told them they want to make those decisions.

Ball State University is dropping its face mask mandate for people fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Following new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control, the St. Joseph County Health Officer Dr. Robert Einterz has rescinded the county's public health order, which required face masks in most enclosed public spaces.

The St. Joseph Co. Health Dept. has just released information indicating the local face mask order will be extended through May 27. However, it appears the face mask order will end for good on May 27. The public health order says it will not be "renewed, revised or extended beyond May 27, 2021."

You can read more in the release below. 

Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb announced that on Mar. 31 Indiana will open COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to all Hoosiers age 16 and up. 

Also as of April 6th he says that the state's face mask mandate will become just an advisory. However, in places like state buildings, vaccination sites and schools face masks will still be required.  

Also on Apr. 6th decisions about gathering sizes will no longer be limited by state guidelines. Decisions on that will go to the local level at that point. 

St. Joseph County Health Department officials in South Bend released a new order indicating that the county's face mask mandate that has been in place for months will be extended through the end of March 2021. The previous order was due to expire at the end of 2020. 

UPDATE (Oct. 12):

Notre Dame has announced that the university's president is now out of isolation and quarantine after testing positive for COVID-19. 

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has clarified her order requiring masks in organized sports, saying they must be worn in training and competition only when athletes can't consistently keep 6 feet apart. The measure issued Wednesday explicitly mentions football, soccer and volleyball as sports where face coverings are a must due to the coronavirus pandemic. But it also now exempts sports in which athletes can keep distance “except for occasional and fleeting moments” — such as tennis, golf, cross country, baseball and softball.

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has extended her mask requirement to include many children who attend day care and camps, saying the step is necessary to ensure the facilities remain open during the pandemic. Previously, day care centers and camps were exempt from her order to wear a face covering inside enclosed public spaces and crowded outdoor places. The new directive applies to children ages 2 and up when they're on a school bus and those ages 4 and older when they're in indoor hallways and common areas.

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has tweaked her order to wear masks in public, clarifying that it's not required while voting and telling businesses they can't assume people who enter without a face covering are covered by exceptions. The changes made Friday come a week after she updated the mask rule to add a $500 fine and require businesses to refuse entry to those without a mask. Businesses can't assume maskless customers are exempt but can accept their "verbal representation" that they are.

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is toughening a requirement to wear masks during the coronavirus pandemic, mandating that businesses open to the public deny service or entry to customers who refuse to wear one. The governor on Friday also expanded where people must have a face covering beyond indoor public spaces. Starting immediately, they have to wear one outdoors if they cannot consistently keep 6 feet from non-household members, and while using public transportation, a taxi or a ride-sharing vehicle. Violators will be subject to a misdemeanor fine.

Monday the St. Joseph County Health Department in Indiana announced an extension of the county's face mask order.

MISHAWAKA, Ind. (AP) — A man denied service for not wearing a mask assaulted convenience store clerk in northern Indiana. Police say the assault occurred Wednesday morning at a 7-Eleven in Mishawaka, 5 miles east of South Bend. Police say the man entered the store without wearing a mask and attempted to buy a cup of coffee. When he was told he could not be served because he wasn't wearing a mask, the man threw the  coffee on the female clerk and left.