Gov. Eric Holcomb today unveiled his plan to get Indiana back to normal, with a five stage recovery plan with a goal of being back to full operation by July 4th.

The first stage is the “stay-at-home” order that the state has been under since March.

The second stage would start on Monday, May 4th easing many restrictions for all but the three worst-hit counties.

Under Stage 2:

• Hoosiers 65 and over and those with high-risk health conditions should remain at home whenever possible. This is the population that is most vulnerable to the coronavirus
• Recommend that residents wear face coverings in public settings. Residents also should continue to practice social distancing and good hygiene
• Social gatherings of 25 people may take place following the CDC social distancing guidelines. The coronavirus is often spread among groups of people who are in close contact in a confined space for an extended period of time. This limit applies to such events as wedding receptions, birthday parties, Mother’s Day gatherings, and others where people are in close physical contact for extended periods of time
• Essential travel restrictions are lifted; local non-essential travel allowed
• Continue remote work whenever possible
• Restaurants and bars that serve food may open at 50% capacity with operational
  limitations on May 11th. Bar seating will be closed with no live entertainment. Servers and kitchen staff must wear face coverings
• Also on May 11th, Retail and commercial businesses, including those that have been open for the necessities of life during previous executive orders, may operate at 50% of capacity. Examples include apparel, furniture, jewelry, and liquor stores.
• Also on May 11th, personal services, such as hair salons, barber shops, nail salons, spas, and tattoo parlors may reopen by appointment only with operational limitations. Employees must wear face coverings, work stations must be spaced to meet social distancing guidelines, and other requirements must be met. Customers should wear face coverings to the extent possible
• Starting May 8th, religious services may convene inside places of worship. There are specific practices that should be considered for in-person services that are driven by social distancing guidelines and protections for those 65 and older and individuals with known high-risk medical conditions. Examples of services include weddings, funerals, and baptisms.
• Manufacturers, industrial operations, and other infrastructure that has not been in operation may open following OSHA and CDC guidelines.
• About half of the state’s Bureau of Motor Vehicle branches will open with services by appointment only; the remainder of branches will continue to open over the next two weeks
• Public libraries may open according to their own policies and CDC guidelines

The next stage, with a May 23 timetable, would further allow indoor worship services of no more than 10 people and loosen other restrictions. Social gatherings of up to 100 people could take place and movie theaters could open at 50 percent capacity.

The governor said that the state could move the community to an earlier stage again if things begin to go backwards.

A new website outlines the plan at backontrack.in.gov.

Edinburgh, Brown County and Greensburg are benefiting from a COVID-19 Response Program through the state of Indiana.

Last week, Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch and the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs announced almost $2 million dollars in grant funding and yesterday announced another $8.8 million in funds. Crouch explains.

Yesterday, Crouch announced that the Town of Edinburgh was awarded $240,000 to provide grants to small businesses to retain low-to-moderate income employees and to assist with working capital. Brown County was awarded $250,000 to establish a grant program designed to provide economic relief for small businesses to retain jobs.

Last week, The City of Greensburg was awarded $250,000 to provide loans to local small business owners who are low-to-moderate income or to retain low-to-moderate income jobs. The funds will be processed through the local economic development revolving loan program.

Columbus Regional Health is beginning the gradual return to normal operations, allowing some elective procedures to begin again at the hospital.

Kelsey DeClue, spokeswoman for CRH, explains during a recent video update to the community available below.

The hospital will be expanding its services again through a phased approach focused on the safety of patients and the workforce.

The hospital is in the process of contacting patients who had medical procedures or services delayed under the governor’s orders. Those include surgical services, screening and diagnostic procedures, and other outpatient care.

Patients will notice heightened safety measures, including screening assessments of everyone going into CRH facilities, the limited entrances to the hospital, restrictions on visitors and pre-testing of surgical procedure patients for COVID-19. Those entering the campus will be given a mask to wear if they do not already have one of their own, DeClue said.

If you had a procedure scheduled and have not yet heard from the hospital, you can call the main number at 800-841-4938