By Hope Fowler
Staff-Writer
On March 23, Indiana Governor, Eric Holcomb, issued the state mandated stay-at-home order due to the Coronavirus outbreak.
Many seniors in high school were missing their last prom, senior banquets for spring athletics and graduation. Seniors in college were missing graduation and spring athletics. Students were struggling with the sudden change of classes being in-person to online with only weeks left of the semester. The cherry on top of this devasting situation was that summer was closely approaching.
Quarantine was lifted about a quarter way through the summer. While the stay-at-home order was no longer in effect, there were heavy restrictions on what was open.
Currently, most businesses are open but not at full capacity and face coverings are mandated. The many restrictions put a damper on summer for a lot of us. It was hard to find activities to do outside of the house.
There are more things to do in public since quarantine ended than most realize, however some restrictions make it difficult to do things we once were used to.
Most restaurants are open at 50% capacity. Movie theatres are also at 50%, if one is craving a date night.
If outdoor therapy is needed, there are many options of activities. For example, fishing, golfing, gardening, spending time on a boat and relaxing by the pool are great ways to spend time outdoors. Mini golf, playgrounds and state and county parks are open for the public.
If preferring a girl’s day, nail salons are open at limited to full capacity, some requiring appointments. Shopping centers are open, and the pumpkin spice latte has officially been released from Starbucks. Other open places of business include bowling alleys, bars, casinos, zoos, among many others.
To participate in any of these activities, face coverings are required. There are few businesses that are completely open at full capacity, for the community’s safety.
“Honestly, at this point, it has been over six months and I think everyone is just exhausted. I do not feel like it will ever go away. It takes years to develop an effective vaccination, and it’s that much more exhausting realizing that there is no light at the end of the tunnel right now,” said community member Ann Smith.
Currently, Indiana is in stage 4.5 of Governor Holcomb’s “Back on Track Indiana” plan.
