As of April 6th (2021), Evansville no longer has a mask mandate in place. We now have a "mask advisory" instead. But, what does that mean exactly? Are we still required to wear them? Are there places where we don't have to? So many questions. Fortunately, there are answers.

Evansville Mayor Lloyd Winnecke announced the change to the city's policy during a press conference on March 30th, roughly a week after Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb announced he was putting all mask-wearing decisions in the hands of local governments and business owners by changing the state-wide mask mandate advisory also effective April 6th. At the time, both men cited the declining number of COVID cases, hospitalizations, positivity rates, and deaths, as well as the continued rise in the number of vaccinated residents as their motive behind the decisions. It's important to note, both leaders also made it perfectly clear during their respective press conferences that while the data is encouraging, the pandemic is not over and if numbers started to rise significantly again, they would consider reinstating the mandates. While Indiana as a whole has seen a slight uptick in numbers and some experts think we could see a fourth surge if we relax regulations too soon, neither the Governor nor the Mayor has changed their stance. So, for now, we live with advisories and hope for the day where even those are no longer needed to come sooner rather than later.

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A Handy Guide to Evansville's Mask Advisory

Evansville Deputy Mayor Steve Schaefer recently shared a breakdown of where you still need to wear a mask, and where you may be able to go mask-free on his Facebook page. Here's what you need to know.

KEEP READING: Answers to 30 common COVID-19 vaccine questions

While much is still unknown about the coronavirus and the future, what is known is that the currently available vaccines have gone through all three trial phases and are safe and effective. It will be necessary for as many Americans as possible to be vaccinated in order to finally return to some level of pre-pandemic normalcy, and hopefully these 30 answers provided here will help readers get vaccinated as soon they are able.

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