Local Public Health Order Revised & Renewed in Case of Future Virus Surges

The Allen County health commissioner revised and renewed local public health restrictions to help slow any future surges of COVID-19 if the county shifts back into the state’s red advisory level.

“While we are glad to see the continued decrease in COVID-19 spread in the county, we want to be prepared with a renewed local public health order so our community has advanced notice of possible restrictions if these positive trends do not continue,” said health commissioner Dr. Matthew Sutter. “We are grateful for the input we received from local business owners so we could develop informed and measured requirements if Allen County finds itself in the red category once again.”

The full Allen County public health order, which will go into effect Monday at 12 a.m., can be viewed here. No additional restrictions in the order are currently in effect since Allen County is not in the red advisory level.

The local order mirrors all guest and capacity limits for social gatherings and events laid out in Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb’s Executive Order 21-02, and provides outlined information needed for event plans submitted to the health department as required by the executive order. It also revises restaurant and bar capacity limits to 75 percent with limited bar seating if the county shifts to the red advisory level. Requirements for gyms and fitness centers remain the same from previous local public health orders when the county is in the red advisory level.

As with previous local public orders and as required by the Governor’s executive order, the county will shift to a more restrictive category whenever the state’s color-coded score rises to the higher level. But the county must remain in lower category for two consecutive weeks before restrictions can be lifted.

The local public health order is set to expire Feb. 28, 2021. Health department officials will review local data prior to the expiration to determine if an extension of local restrictions is necessary.