Indy Council Moves Quickly on Health Mandates
(photo courtesy of our partners at WFYI)
The Indianapolis City-County Council voted Monday evening to approve local COVID-19 restrictions for Marion County. The move came just hours after state legislators voted to override Governor Eric Holcomb’s veto of Senate Bill 5, which requires local elected officials to make the final decision on public health orders.
The council’s vote, reinstates the county-wide mask mandate for indoor and outdoor activities, as well as capacity restrictions on various establishments. Our partners at WIBC report the council voted along party lines with all 19 Democrats voting in favor and all five Republicans voting against.
“The council is made up of some amazingly smart individuals,” said Councilor Maggie Lewis. “However, when I check our current roster, there are no medical doctors that serve on the Indianapolis city-county council. Therefore I think it’s up to us as leaders of this community to get behind [Marion County Public Health Department Director] Dr. [Virginia] Caine.”
Caine released the following statement after the vote:
“Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the Marion County Public Health Department has worked closely with local, state, and federal officials, as well as partners in health, education, and the many sectors of our economy, embracing best practices and smart public health policies while preserving and protecting our local economy to the greatest extent possible. The ability to make quick decisions at a local level is critical to protecting Hoosiers during a public health crisis. I am grateful to Mayor Joe Hogsett, President Vop Osili, and the Indianapolis City-County Council for taking swift action tonight to ratify the latest public health orders, keeping our residents safe and our city headed back on track.”
Republican Councilor Joshua Bain proposed having Caine provide regular updates on why restrictions should remain in place and called for the council to hold regular votes on renewing the restrictions, according to WIBC.
“You’d have to continually come and prove to the elected leaders of Marion County that we should continue to have these restrictions in place that’s something I think we could talk about,” Bain said. “But unfortunately, hear all we are doing is rubber-stamping what we have been doing.”
Council President Vop Osili also expressed his desire to continue working with the Marion County Public Health Department to ensure the safety of residents.
“As we have done since the virus arrived in Indiana, the Council will continue to work together for the best interests of our community,” Osili said in a statement after the vote. “In a time of great uncertainty, our city’s residents can be certain of this: the Indianapolis City-County Council will remain strictly focused on safeguarding their health and doing whatever is necessary to bring our city back stronger than ever.”
As a result of the veto override, restrictions in other areas of the state are no longer in place until local officials approve them. Mask mandates in St. Joseph County and Monroe County were slated to expire on May 27 and 28, respectively, according to WIBC. However, it its not clear if a vote to reinstate them will take place.