Movie theaters, bars, museums and amusement parks will be allowed to open Friday across Indiana as the governor announced Wednesday that he was moving up by two days the next stage of easing the state’s coronavirus restrictions.
A new state order will allow social gatherings of up to 250 people and retail stores and malls to operate at full capacity, Gov. Eric Holcomb said. Gatherings have been limited to 100 people and stores to 75% capacity for the past three weeks as such limits have been gradually lifted since early May.
Restaurants will be allowed 75% capacity in their dining rooms, while bars, nightclubs, movie theaters and bowling alleys can open at 50% capacity. Casinos can resume operations starting Monday under safety plans submitted to the Indiana Gaming Commission.
Public playgrounds are being permitted to reopen as of Friday but festivals and parades still being prohibited.
This Indiana reopening stage had been scheduled for Sunday. Officials said the earlier action was possible because of continuing declines in the number of COVID-19 infected people hospitalized and availability of intensive care unit beds to treat those most seriously ill.
This story will be updated.
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