As the state moves into stage four of Governor Eric Holcomb’s reopening plan, Monroe County officials outlined additional restrictions Friday.
State guidelines allow mass gatherings of up to 250 people, but the county limit will be 100 people.
Bars and nightclubs can also open at 50 percent capacity.
READ MORE: Indiana Entering Next Reopening Stage Friday, Two Days Ahead Of Schedule
Monroe County Health Administrator Penny Caudill says to ensure extra safety, bars will have to keep its supplies away from customers.
“So a bar may decide not to use bar seating. That would be a way to maintain that protection," Caudill says. "Or they may simply put in some other controlled measure to protect those supplies.”
Caudill says supplies includes glasses, napkins, and garnishes that are typically near the people who sit at the bar.
"A bar area service usually contains items that are more likely to become contaminated," Caudill says.
She says bars could also install plastic barriers seen elsewhere, such as gas stations, to keep supplies behind the counter protected.
"We did want to leave businesses some flexibility," Caudill says.
Caudill says the same general health guidelines will apply to bars as they do to restaurants during pandemic. This means employees must wear masks and groups of people must be physically distanced from one another.
