Evansville Mayor Lloyd Winnecke praised Governor Eric Holcomb for flexibility in the decision to relax COVID-19 restrictions.
During this week’s news conference, a reporter asked Mayor Winnecke why Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett decided to keep that city’s mask mandate in place while Evansville’s will be replaced by an advisory.
Winnecke said he hates to speculate about Hogsett but said he appreciates Gov. Holcomb leaving it up to municipalities…
"He allowed local units of governments to do what they feel is best for their communities. So, you're going to have communities that have different standards. Or you know, maybe their vaccination rate as a percentage of their population is not as high as ours, I don't know."
Winnecke was also asked about President Biden’s request that governors not drop mask mandates yet…
"First, I would look at the specific data for Evansville and Vanderburgh County, which is quite positive for our community. And it's significantly different than many areas around the country. The president is looking at what he feels is best for the entire 50 states."
Winnecke said he decided to drop the local mask mandate next week due to data showing vaccinations are up and hospitalizations are down.