Indiana coronavirus links and timeline

Indiana coronavirus timeline

With information from the Indiana State Department of Health through March 2, 2022, this timeline reflects updated tallies of deaths and positive tests prior to that date.

2022

March 6, 2020: Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) confirms the first case in Indiana. Officials say the Marion County resident had recently traveled to Boston to attend a BioGen conference as a contractor.
March 8: ISDH confirms a second case. A Hendricks County adult who had also traveled to the BioGen conference was placed in isolation. Noblesville Schools says a parent and that parent’s children will self-quarantine after attending an out-of-state event where someone tested positive.
March 9: Avon Community School Corp. says a student on March 8 tested positive.
March 10: ISDH launches an online tracker. Ball State University basketball fans learn the Mid-American Conference tourney will have no fans in the stands. Three businesses operating nursing homes in Indiana announce they will no longer allow visitors.
March 11: The Indianapolis-based NCAA announces the Final Four basketball tournaments will happen with essential staff and limited family attendance. The Big Ten announces all sports events, including the men’s basketball tournament at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, will have no fans starting March 12. Ball State University suspends in-person classes the rest of the spring semester. NBA suspends all games, including the Indiana Pacers, until further notice. Butler University and the University of Indianapolis extend spring break, after which they will have virtual classes.
March 12: Gov. Eric Holcomb announces new protections that led to extended public school closings and the cancellation of large events across the state. The NCAA cancels its basketball tournaments. The Big Ten suspends all sporting events through the winter and spring seasons. The league including the Indy Fuel hockey team suspends its season. Indy Eleven says it will reschedule four matches. Indianapolis’ annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade is canceled.
March 13: The Indiana High School Athletic Association postpones the boys basketball tournament. Wayzata Home Products, a Connersville cabinet maker, shuts down and lays off its entire workforce due to market uncertainty. Holcomb announces actions including the elimination of Medicaid co-pays for COVID-19 testing and the lifting of limits on the number of work hours per day for drivers of commercial vehicles. Franklin College says it will begin online classes March 18 and empty residence halls of students in two days. The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis closes indefinitely. The Indianapolis Public Library joins other libraries across Indiana and closes all facilities indefinitely.
March 14: The Indiana Gaming Commission says all licensed gaming and racing operations will close in two days for an indefinite period.
March 15: Indiana had its first death. St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis announces it will suspend all elective, non-urgent surgeries.
March 16: Indiana had its second death. Gov. Holcomb announced the first Hoosier death. He closes bars, restaurants and nightclubs to in-person patrons, but maintains carryout and delivery services.
March 17: Indiana had its third and fourth deaths. ISDH announces Indiana’s second death. Gov. Holcomb activates the National Guard. Purdue, Butler and Indiana State universities cancel May commencement ceremonies.
March 18: Indiana had its fifth death. Eli Lilly and Co. says it will use its labs to speed up testing in Indiana. The 500 Festival suspends all events. Simon Property Group closes all malls and retail properties.
March 19: Holcomb extends Indiana’s state of emergency into May. Holcomb says he’ll close all K-12 public and nonpublic schools; standardized testing was canceled. The state’s income-tax and corporate-tax payment deadline was extended to July 15. Holcomb says the state will waive job search requirements for people applying for Temporary Assistance to Needy Families. Indiana’s high school boys basketball tournament was canceled.
March 20: Indiana’s death toll rose to 9. ISDH announces Indiana’s third death. Holcomb moves the state’s primary election to June 2. Indiana University says it is postponing May commencement ceremonies on all campuses.
March 21: Indiana’s death toll rises to 14. ISDH announces Indiana’s fourth death. Indiana National Guard says it and the state Department of Transportation are distributing medical supplies to hospitals.
March 22: Indiana’s death toll rises to 18. ISDH announces seven deaths.
March 23: Indiana’s death toll rises to 23. Holcomb orders nonessential Hoosiers to “stay at home” from March 24-April 7. Eli Lilly & Co. begins drive-thru testing for the coronavirus for health care workers with a doctor’s order. Ball State University cancels the May commencement.
March 24: Indiana’s death toll rises to 28. Fred Payne of Indiana Workforce Development says any Hoosiers out of work, including temporary layoffs, are eligible to apply for unemployment benefits.
March 25: Indiana’s death toll rises to 33. Indianapolis Motor Speedway announces the Indianapolis 500 is moved to Aug. 23.
March 26: Indiana’s death toll rises to 42.
March 27: Indiana’s death toll rises to 45.
March 28: Indiana’s death toll rises to 58.
March 29: Indiana’s death toll rises to 76.
March 30: Indiana’s death toll rises to 90.
March 31: Indiana’s death toll rises above 100, to 113. Holcomb extends the limits of bars and restaurants to offer only “to go” and “carryout” through April 6.
April 1: Officials extend Marion County’s “stay at home” order through May 1. Marion County health officials say they will start COVID-19 testing services for front-line employees.
April 2: The state announces K-12 schools will be closed for the rest of the school year. Indiana High School Athletic Association cancels spring sports seasons.
April 3: Holcomb extends the “stay at home” order through April 20. The Indiana National Guard says it, the Army Corps of Engineers and state health officials will begin to assess sites for alternate health care facilities.
April 6: The state reports a Madison County nursing home has had 11 deaths. Holcomb extends the “stay at home” order through April 20. He also limits additional businesses to carry-out only.
April 7: Indiana health commissioner Box says four long-term care facilities have 22 deaths that appear to be related to COVID-19.
April 10: ISDH said 24 residents of a long-term care facility in Madison County have died from COVID-related illness.
April 14: Indiana’s death toll rises above 500. Indiana records more than 10,000 positive coronavirus tests.
April 16: The governor says he expects Indiana to experience a reopening in early May.
April 20: Holcomb extends the “stay at home” order to May 1. The governor also says if the medical supply chain is in good shape, other elective medical procedures can resume April 27.
April 22: The Tyson facility in Logansport voluntarily closes so 2,200 employees can be tested for COVID-19.
April 24: The Indianapolis City-County Council approves $25 million to help small businesses. Fishers City Council creates a city health department.
April 25: ISDH says it will launch an antibody testing study for Hoosiers; thousands of residents were randomly selected to participate in the study.
April 27: Indiana’s death toll rises above 1,000.
April 28: Indiana officials say they will open COVID-19 testing to more Hoosiers, with expanded criteria and new testing services at 20 sites around the state.
April 29: The state says it will spent $43 million on contact tracing.
April 30: Indiana records more than 20,000 positive coronavirus tests. Indianapolis extends its stay-at-home order through May 15.
May 1: Gov. Holcomb announces a phased reopening plan for the state of Indiana. He also extends the “stay at home” order to May 4.
May 4: Indiana enters Stage 2 of its Back on Track plan, which excludes Cass County until May 18, and Lake and Marion counties until May 11. Simon Property Group reopens all of its Indiana malls except those in Marion County.
May 6:The state begins testing for all Hoosiers at 20 sites, with plans to expand the number of sites to 50 in a week. Ivy Tech Community College says it will continue virtual classes when summer courses begin in June.
May 8: Cris Johnston, director of the Office of Budget and Management, says the state missed out on nearly $1 billion in anticipated April revenues; all state agencies will be given budget-cutting goals. Purdue University OKs plans to reopen for the fall semester with social distancing and other safety measures.
May 13: The first phase of a state-sponsored study of the coronavirus estimated about 186,000 Hoosiers had COVID-19 or the antibodies for the novel virus by May 1. Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett announced plans for limited reopenings of worship services, retail establishments, libraries and restaurants.
May 15: Simon Property Group reopens Castleton Square Mall, Circle Centre Mall, and Fashion Mall at Keystone
May 18: Indiana records more than 30,000 positive coronavirus tests. Indiana reports its first case of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in a child. The Farbest Foods turkey-processing plant in Huntingburg is closed for three days; 91 people had tested positive there.
May 22: Indiana advances to Stage 3 of the Back on Track reopening plan. Indianapolis closes portions of five streets to allow restaurants to reopen with outdoor dining only.
May 25: Indiana’s death toll rises to 2,000.
May 27: Indiana University says the fall semester will have in-person and online courses, plus an adjusted calendar through May 2021. Ball State University says the fall semester will be 13 straight weeks of in-person classes with no day off on Labor Day and no fall break.
May 29: Places of worship in Marion County can begin holding indoor services at 50% capacity with proper social distancing. Jim Schellinger, Indiana secretary of commerce, said the federal Paycheck Protection Program has made 73,430 loans in Indiana totaling $9,379,164,461, the federal Economic Injury Disaster Loan program has made 5,070 loans in Indiana totaling $445,428,500, and the federal Economic Injury Disaster Loans Advance program has made 38,365 grants in Indiana totaling $136,554,000.
June 1: Marion County restaurants begin serving customers indoors and outdoors with 50% capacity. Marion County salons, tattoo parlors reopen by appointment only. Marion County gyms, fitness centers and pools reopen with 50% capacity and no contact sports. However, a Marion County curfew that began the night of May 31 and continued into the morning of June 3 after rioting impacted the reopening of some businesses.
June 3: Phase 2 of statewide testing of random Hoosiers by the Indiana University Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health at IUPUI and the Indiana State Department of Health begins.
June 5: Indiana reports May tax revenues were 20% short of projections made before the coronavirus closings started.
June 8: Indianapolis leaders agree to spend $79 million in coronavirus relief funding on contact tracing, rent relief, personal protective equipment and support for small businesses.
June 11: Indiana records more than 40,000 positive coronavirus tests.
June 12: Indiana, excluding Marion County, advances to Stage 4 of reopening plan.
June 15: Casinos and parimutuel racing reopen in the state. Marion County’s public libraries begin a phased reopening.
June 19: Marion County advances to Stage 4 of state’s reopening plan.
June 24: Holcomb says the state’s moratorium on the eviction on renters will be extended through July. Indiana announces it will create a rental assistance program July 13. Indiana Pacers guard Malcolm Brogdon says he has tested positive for COVID-19.
June 27: Indiana hospitalizations for COVID-19 begin to increase, with about 33 new patients a day through July 1.
July 1: The governor pauses Stage 5 final reopening plan, announces Stage 4.5 from July 4-17.
July 4: Indiana’s Stage 4.5 reopening plan begins.
July 6: Indiana records more than 50,000 positive coronavirus tests.
July 9: Marion County mandates mask-wearing.
July 10: Indianapolis Public Schools announces its reopening plans.
July 11: Indy Eleven resumes 2020 season with victory at Lucas Oil Stadium. The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis reopens.
July 13: Indiana begins rental assistance program for all counties but Marion County. Marion County begins its own rental assistance program.
July 15: Indiana announces the Stage 4.5 reopening plan will continue another two weeks. The WNBA season begins.
July 16: Indianapolis suspends applications for its rental assistance program due to overwhelming demand.
July 24: Bars, taverns and nightclubs in Indianapolis are shut down again. City officials also return to other previous restrictions.
July 25: Indiana Fever begins WNBA season after delays.
July 27: Indiana governor’s order to wear face coverings begins. Great Lakes Valley Conference, which including University of Indianapolis, postpones most fall sports, including football, men’s and women’s soccer, and volleyball, until spring.
July 30: NBA season resumes.
Aug. 4: Indianapolis Motor Speedway announces the Aug. 23 Indianapolis 500 will be run without fans.
Aug. 6: Indiana records more than 75,000 positive coronavirus tests.
Aug. 10: Indiana’s death toll rises to 3,000.
Aug. 17: Indianapolis Public Schools restarts with online-only classes. News 8 learns the 2021 NBA All-Star Game will not happen on Presidents Day weekend in 2021.
Aug. 20: Purdue University suspends 36 students after a party at a cooperative house.
Aug. 21: Indiana high school football season begins with some teams not playing due to COVID-19 concerns.
Aug. 23: Butler University tells undergraduates that instruction will occur remotely for the first two weeks of the semester, starting Aug. 24, instead of in classrooms.
Aug. 24: Purdue, Indiana, IUPUI and Ball State universities resume in-person classes.
Aug. 25: Reports say a fraternity, a sorority and a cooperative house at Purdue University are under quarantines.
Aug. 26: Gov. Holcomb extends the mask mandate through Sept. 25. Indiana’s rental assistance program will take applications for one last day.
Aug. 27: Indiana University says eight Greek houses are under 14-day quarantines.
Sept. 2: Indiana University tells 30 Greek houses in Bloomington to quarantine.
Sept. 3: Indiana records more than 100,000 positive coronavirus tests.
Sept. 8: Marion County allows bars and nightclubs to reopen with 25% capacity indoors and 50% capacity outdoors.
Sept. 12: The Indianapolis Colts open their season with a loss in a Jacksonville stadium with a limited number of fans.
Sept. 21: The Indianapolis Colts home opener is limited to 2,500 fans.
Sept. 23: Gov. Eric Holcomb extends the mask mandate through Oct. 17.
Sept. 24: The state’s mask mandate is extended through Oct. 17.
Sept. 25: The Mid-American Conference announces it will start a six-game football season Nov. 4, with the championship game Dec. 18 or 19.
Sept. 26: Indiana advances to a revised Stage 5 of Indiana Back on Track plan with relaxed limits on gatherings, restaurants, bars, nightclubs and more. Marion, Monroe and Tippecanoe counties decided to have more restrictive limits, however.
Sept. 27: The Indianapolis Colts second home game is limited to 7,500 fans.
Sept. 28: Purdue University says it’s suspended 14 students, including 13 student-athletes, for violations of a pledge designed to curb the coronavirus pandemic on campus.
Sept. 30: The Indiana State Department of Health’s online coronavirus dashboard began showing data on positive coronavirus cases in Indiana schools.
Oct. 1: IU’s website shows two additional fraternities and a sorority at the Bloomington campus have been issued “cease and desist” orders.
Oct. 2: Franklin College suspends classes and moves to virtual education and activities through Oct. 9 after a “concerning and unusual” increase in the positivity rate for COVID-19.
Oct. 12: Franklin College returns to in-person classes.
Oct. 13: Indianapolis-based drugmaker Lilly pauses its trial of a combination antibody treatment for coronavirus for safety reasons.
Oct. 14: Indiana health commissioner Dr. Kristina Box announces she has tested positive for COVID-19.
Oct. 15: Gov. Holcomb issues executive order to extend mask mandate and Stage 5 reopening plan.
Oct. 16: Indiana’s death toll rises above 4,000.
Oct. 18: The Indianapolis Colts third home game was limited to 12,500 fans.
Oct. 23: The Big Ten begins its football season.
Oct. 30: Gov. Holcomb extends the public health emergency through Dec. 1.
Nov. 1: Indiana National Guard to begin deploying to long-term care facilities to provide coronavirus assistance. The Mid-American Conference football teams begins its six-game regular season.
Nov. 3: Indiana records more than 200,000 positive coronavirus tests.
Nov. 8: The Indianapolis Colts fourth home game was limited to 12,500 fans. .
Nov. 10: Indiana’s death toll rises above 5,000.
Nov. 12: Indianapolis calls for schools to go to virtual learning by Nov. 30.
Nov. 15: Indiana adds coronavirus-control restrictions for all businesses and gatherings in counties with the highest number of new cases as part of an update to the statewide COVID-19 pandemic response.
Nov. 16: Indianapolis limits capacity inside bars, private clubs, fraternal organizations and gyms to 25%; inside restaurants, libraries, funeral homes, swimming pools and shopping malls’ food courts to 50%; and inside religious services to 75%. Marion County Health Department requires preregistration for COVID-19 testing after increased demand at three drive-thru locations.
Nov. 19: Indiana records more than 300,000 positive coronavirus tests.
Nov. 23: Indianapolis Public Schools returns to virtual learning through Jan. 18.
Nov. 24: The NCAA men’s and women’s basketball seasons begin; some games had no fans in the stands.
Nov. 25: Indiana’s death toll rises above 6,000.
Nov. 26: Butler University men’s basketball cancels Nov. 29 game against Eastern Illinois after a positive COVID-19 test.
Nov. 28: Butler University men’s basketball team postponed two more games because of a positive COVID-19 test.
Dec. 1: Bankers Life Fieldhouse hosts its first NCAA men’s basketball game, Kansas vs. Kentucky, since the start of the pandemic.
Dec. 2: Indianapolis ends its rental assistance program.
Dec. 5: The men’s basketball game of No. 1 Gonzaga and No. 2, Baylor at Bankers Life Fieldhouse is postponed 90 minutes before tipoff after two Bulldogs test positive.
Dec. 6: Indiana’s death toll rises above 7,000. Indiana records more than 400,000 positive coronavirus tests.
Dec. 9: Holcomb says virus restrictions will now by county based on ratings that show the local virus spread. Indiana and Purdue universities cancel the Old Oaken Bucket football game set for Dec. 12.
Dec. 10: Indiana House Speaker Todd Huston says he tested positive for COVID-19.
Dec. 11: The Pacers lose to the Cavaliers as the NBA preseason begins. The Carmel Walmart in Westfield closes for nearly two days to sanitize the store.
Dec. 12: Ball State University President Geoffrey Mearns tests positive for the coronavirus.
Dec. 14: Health care workers receive the first coronavirus vaccinations in Indiana.
Dec. 15: Vice President Mike Pence holds a roundtable in Bloomington at pharmaceutical maker Catalent on the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines. Indiana and Purdue again cancel the Old Oaken Bucket football game that’d been reset for Dec. 18.
Dec. 16: Indiana’s death toll rises above 8,000.
Dec. 20: The Indianapolis Colts allows up to 10,000 attendees at Lucas Oil Stadium for the team’s game against the Houston Texans.
Dec. 22: NBA starts league’s 75th season, delayed and shortened to a 72-game schedule because of the pandemic.
Dec. 23: In response to the high volume of unemployment claims, Holcomb extends the suspension of certain requirements to expedite the hiring and training of temporary workers to more quickly resolve unemployment issues. Indiana Pacers to host first home game against New York Knicks with no fans present.
Dec. 24: Indiana records more than 500,000 positive coronavirus tests.
Dec. 26: Indiana’s death toll rises above 9,000.
Dec. 31: Indiana’s death toll for 2020 is 9,505 (as recorded through Feb. 17, 2022).

2021

Jan. 3, 2021: The Indianapolis Colts allow 10,000 attendees at Lucas Oil Stadium for the team’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Jan. 4: Grades 1-12 schools in Marion County are allowed reopen to in-person learning. Perry Township Schools is the only district to reopen to in-person learning.
Jan. 5: Purdue and Nebraska postpone a men’s basketball game over health and safety concerns.
Jan. 6: Indiana’s death toll rises above 10,000.
Jan. 8: Hoosiers 80 and older start receiving the coronavirus vaccine.
Jan. 13: Hoosiers 70 and older can get the coronavirus vaccine.
Jan. 17: Indiana records more than 600,000 positive coronavirus tests.
Jan. 18: NFL announces the scouting combine will not happen in Indianapolis in February.
Jan. 19: IPS elementary schools reopen after break with in-person learning.
Jan. 20: Indiana’s death toll rises above 11,000. Indiana Pacers host up to 1,000 at a game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, the first fans since the pandemic began.
Feb. 1: Hoosiers 65 and older can get the coronavirus vaccine. The Indianapolis St. Patrick’s Day parade is canceled for the second year in a row.
Feb. 4: More than 1,500 coronavirus deaths were added to the Indiana State Department of Health’s dashboard after an audit found they were not recorded. News 8 learns all games for the Big Ten men’s basketball tourney will move from Chicago to Indianapolis’ Lucas Oil Stadium.
Feb. 7: Indiana to change school protocols for classroom quarantine and contact tracing.
Feb. 9: Indiana’s death toll rises above 12,000.
Feb. 10: Indiana records more than 650,000 positive coronavirus tests.
Feb. 17: Indiana officials announced plans for a $448 million program to give housing assistance to Hoosiers.
Feb. 19: The NCAA says up to 25% capacity will be allowed for all rounds of the men’s basketball tourney including the Final Four. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway announces the May 30 Indianapolis 500 will have fans.
Feb. 23: Hoosiers 60 and older can get the coronavirus vaccine.
Feb. 25: Capacity limits at bars, restaurants, gyms, and music venues in Marion County were adjusted after a consistent trend in the community’s COVID-19 positivity rate.
Feb. 28: Indiana National Guardsmen to end assistance to long-term care facilities.
March 1: The 500 Festival Mini-Marathon says it will be virtual for the second year in a row.
March 2: Hoosiers 55 and older start receiving the coronavirus vaccine.
March 3: Hoosiers 50 and older start receiving the coronavirus vaccine.
March 4: News 8 learns up 8,000 fans will be allowed in Lucas Oil Stadium for Big Ten men’s basketball tournament games.
March 5: A four-day, drive-thru, mass-vaccination clinic opens at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for 16,800 Hoosiers.
March 12: Ivy Tech Community College in Sellersburg hosted a two-day, drive-thru, mass-vaccination clinic.
March 18: NCAA men’s March Madness games, all of them at venues in Indiana, starts with First Four games in Bloomington and West Lafayette.
March 20: Gary hosted a weekend, drive-thru, mass-vaccination clinic.
March 25: Indianapolis Mayor Hogsett says a mask mandate and capacity restrictions will continue indefinitely in Marion County, despite the governor’s decision to lift statewide restrictions April 6.
March 26: A two-day, drive-thru, mass-vaccination clinic was set for Compton Family Ice Arena at the University of Notre Dame.
April 5: Indiana’s state mask mandate becomes an advisory at 11:59 p.m. for all but K-12 schools and state government facilities. IPS middle and high schools reopen after spring break with in-person learning.
April 6: Local officials, instead of state officials, take control of any limits on the size of gatherings at venues. Customers in restaurants, bars and nightclubs will no longer be required by the state to be seated, and social distancing and other spacing of seating will still be recommended between parties not from the same household.
April 7: Indiana records more than 700,000 positive coronavirus tests.
April 29: Indiana records more than 725,000 positive coronavirus tests. Holcomb issued a state public health emergency declaration that supersedes previous ones issued during the coronavirus pandemic.
May 2: Indiana’s death toll rises above 13,000.
May 4: Indianapolis Indians begins a delayed season with a 3-0 victory against the Iowa Cubs at Principal Park in Des Moines.
May 11: Indianapolis Indians play nighttime home opener with no more than 25% capacity and a mask mandate; first Indians game in 619 days at stadium.
May 30: Indianapolis Motor Speedway welcomes 135,000 fans, about 40% of capacity, for the 105th running of the Indianapolis 500.
June 1: An executive order calls for the reinstatement of Indiana rules for Hoosiers seeking unemployment benefits, for restaurants selling alcohol, and for other matters including virtual government meetings, and public records. The mask mandate for state facilities ends except in the state prisons, state hospitals, Indiana Veterans Home, the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy, COVID-19 test sites and vaccination clinics. Indiana ends waiver on any penalties or interest payments accrued on state income taxes on unemployment wages.
June 7: Indiana records more than 750,000 positive coronavirus tests. Indianapolis ends mask mandate for fully vaccinated people.
June 11: Indy Pride celebrations are virtual for the second year in a row in Indianapolis.
June 14: Ball State University says vaccinated individuals will no longer be required to wear a mask anywhere on campus.
June 19: Federal pandemic unemployment benefits in Indiana end.
June 22: Jacob Sipe, the executive director of the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority, says the state has committed just over $10 million in spending out of the $371 million meant for rental assistance.
June 30: Indiana State Department of Health closes OptumServe sites providing tests for COVID-19.
July 1: Mask mandate ends for Indiana K-12 schools. Marion County lifts a majority of COVID-19 restrictions; bars, restaurants and sports venues begin to operate at full capacity.
July 2: Nearly 750,000 Hoosiers had their data exposed from the state’s COVID-19 online contact tracing survey, the Indiana State Department of Health learns.
July 22: Indiana ranks as the 43rd least-safe states when it comes to COVID-19 in a study with data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
July 23: COVID-19 has had a more profound impact on Black and rural communities compared to other populations, according to a study released by the Regenstrief Institute and the Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health at Indiana University.
July 30: Indiana Star Fair starts with over 500 sanitizing stations, a recommendation to wear masks indoors, and a request for unvaccinated people to follow CDC guidelines.
July 31: Indiana records more than 775,000 positive coronavirus tests. A federal eviction moratorium ends.
Aug. 2: A federal appeals court rules that Indiana University can proceed with its plan to require students and employees to get vaccinated for COVID-19, in what is the highest court decision regarding college immunization mandates. Purdue University reinstates a requirement for face masks for everyone indoors on campus, regardless of vaccination status. Indianapolis Public Schools begins the semester with a requirement for all to wear masks. Six of nine small-claims courts in Marion County provide tenant advocates in anticipation of an influx of eviction cases.
Aug. 3: Indiana Supreme Court rejects Attorney General Todd Rokita’s emergency request to stop Gov. Eric Holcomb’s lawsuit over a new legislative emergency powers bill. Tyson Foods requires employees to be vaccinated in a schedule that would have also inoculated by Nov. 1.
Aug. 4: Monroe County commissioners institute a mask mandate for indoor, public spaces Aug. 5 through Sept. 30.
Aug. 5: Indiana University reinstates a mask mandate for indoor facilities on all campuses, including IUPUI. The Indiana State Health Department said Hoosiers who are unvaccinated make up 98% of the current COVID-19 cases in the state.
Aug. 6: At least three schools do not attend the Indiana State Fair Band Day contest over COVID-19 issues.
Aug. 9: Ball State University begins a mask mandate for indoor facilities.
Aug. 11: Days after the start of its school year, Wayne Township Schools puts a mask mandate in place. Two bands set to play at Ruoff Music Center in Noblesville announce they will require people going to their concerts to present proof of COVID-19 vaccinations or negative test results within hours of their shows.
Aug. 12: Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett refuses to block a plan by Indiana University to require students and employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19. The Colts announce they will allow full capacity at Lucas Oil Stadium for this season’s games; additionally, face masks will be recommended inside the stadium.
Aug. 13: Days after the start of their school years, Hamilton Southeastern, Lawrence Township, Carmel Clay and Noblesville schools put mask mandates in place after major COVID-19 outbreaks.
Aug. 24: Indiana’s death toll rises above 14,000.
Aug. 12: Indiana records more than 800,000 positive coronavirus tests.
Aug. 19: Micah Beckwith is a pastor at Life Church, a Pentecostal church in Noblesville, tells News 8 he’s provided hundreds of vaccination exemptions.
Aug. 20: Indiana records more than 825,000 positive coronavirus tests.
Aug. 23: Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari caps daily attendance at the amusement park and requires tickets to be purchased online in advance.
Aug. 26: Indiana records more than 850,000 positive coronavirus tests.
Aug. 30: Holcomb extends the coronavirus emergency declaration for the 18th time. Colts quarterback Carson Wentz is placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list.
Aug. 31: The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists all 92 Indiana counties as having “high transmission” of COVID-19. Franciscan Health requires all of its employees to be vaccinated.
Sept. 1: Indiana records more than 875,000 positive coronavirus tests. IU Health requires all of its employees to be vaccinated. Holcomb issued a new executive order that keeps school districts with mask mandates from having to quarantine.
Sept. 2: IU Health suspends fewer than 300 workers who were not vaccinated. Colts quarterback Carson Wentz, taken off the Reserve/COVID-19 list, said he will remain unvaccinated, calling it “a personal decision.”
Sept. 6: Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles, while telling employees with COVID-19 symptoms not to report to work, closes 11 branches due to a lack of staffing. General Motors shuts down its pickup truck plant in Fort Wayne for a week as the coronavirus worsens the global shortage of computer chips.
Sept. 8: Indiana records more than 900,000 positive coronavirus tests. The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis requires masks for all visitors 2 and older when indoors.
Sept. 12: Indianapolis Colts host the Seattle Seahawks in a sold-out Lucas Oil Stadium without any COVID-19 requirements for the 67,000 fans.
Sept. 13: The Indiana Supreme Court issues an order to quickly start a program to more rapidly and effectively get federal Emergency Rental Assistance Program funds to landlords and tenants. A group of parents with students in Northwest Allen County Schools ask a judge to declare the district’s mask mandate as being illegal.
Sept. 14: Indiana records more than 925,000 positive coronavirus tests.
Sept. 15: Community Health Network requires its employees to be vaccinated.
Sept. 16: More than 100 people are no longer employed at IU Health after refusing the organization’s COVID-19 vaccination mandate.
Sept. 20: Health and Hospital Corp. of Marion County, which includes the Marion County Public Health Department, Indianapolis Emergency Medical Services, Sidney & Lois Eskenazi Hospital and some long-term care facilities, required its employees to be vaccinated.
Sept. 21: Indiana’s death toll rises above 15,000. COVID-19 vaccinations and testing again began to be offered at Indianapolis Motor Speedway through Oct. 30.
Sept. 22: Indiana records more than 950,000 positive coronavirus tests. National Guard troops are deployed to Clark Memorial Health in Jeffersonville to assist with COVID-19 cases.
Sept. 24: The Indiana State Department of Health says the booster shots will be offered to Hoosiers based on criteria set by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Sept. 27: News 8 learns National Guard troops have been deployed to Ascension St. Vincent Hospital-Indianapolis to assist with COVID-19 cases. Pacers coach Rick Carlisle says his new team has a “very high” COVID-19 vaccination rate and all of the coaching staff is vaccinated.
Sept. 30: Holcomb extends the coronavirus emergency declaration for the 19th time.
Oct. 1: Indiana records more than 975,000 positive coronavirus tests.
Oct. 2: Gainbridge Fieldhouse (formerly Bankers Life) has its first event, a concert by country duo Dan + Shay, with no rules, just recommendations, for attendees during the pandemic.
Oct. 6: Hamilton County reopens a mass vaccination clinics to handle demand for booster shots. The Indiana Family and Social Services Administration says it’s launched a $540 million grant program to support early childhood education programs facing challenges caused by the pandemic.
Oct. 13: Indiana records more than 1 million positive coronavirus tests.
Oct. 14: Three African lions at the Indianapolis Zoo test positive for the delta variant of COVID-19.
Oct. 18: Marion County health officials urge at-home COVID-19 testing for residents in certain ZIP codes.
Oct. 19: Indiana’s death toll rises above 16,000.
Oct. 27: The Monroe County commissioners extend the mandate for masks to be worn in indoor public spaces; the mandate will be in place until the county’s COVID-19 rate is fewer than 50 weekly cases per 100,000 people, the commissioners decided. Hogsett says the IndyRent program is accepting applications for up to 12 months of assistance; previous limit was three months.
Oct. 29: Holcomb extends the coronavirus emergency declaration for the 20th time.
Nov. 3: Hoosiers ages 5-11 begin receiving COVID-19 vaccinations.
Nov. 4: Attorney General Todd Rokita says Indiana will challenge the Biden administration’s workplace vaccine mandates in three separate lawsuits.
Nov. 12: Ascension Health requires all of its employees to be vaccinated. About 20 nurses and physicians at St. Vincent Hospital in Carmel had a walkout after they say their religious exemptions for the COVID-19 vaccine were denied.
Nov. 15: Eli Lilly and Co. requires all U.S. employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
Nov. 16: Attorney General Todd Rokita filed a lawsuit to prevent the Biden administration from forcing health care workers in Indiana to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
Nov. 20: Indiana Republican legislators announced proposals including ones to force businesses to grant COVID-19 vaccination requirement exemptions without questions, and to block similar immunization rules by state universities.
Nov. 24: Holcomb says he’ll extend Indiana’s public health emergency through year’s end. Indiana legislators cancel plans to reconvene Nov. 29 to consider Republican proposals on vaccination requirements by businesses and state universities.
Nov. 25: Indiana’s death toll rises above 17,000.
Nov. 27: Indiana records more than 1.1 million positive coronavirus tests.
Dec. 4: Colts center Ryan Kelly is added to the Reserve/COVID-19 list.
Dec. 7-8: Several central Indiana schools resume mask mandates as coronavirus cases rise.
Dec. 9: A coronavirus test taken from an unidentified Hoosier is the first to show the omicron variant, the state announced Dec. 19. IU Health says it’s requested help from the National Guard for most of their hospitals.
Dec. 13: Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin is added to the Reserve/COVID-19 list.
Dec. 16: Indiana’s death toll rises above 18,000. Supporters of statewide restrictions on employer vaccine mandates spoke for hours in a Statehouse hearing that saw outbursts of applause and even interruptions.
Dec. 17: IU Health requests added help from the Indiana National Guard as hospitalizations for the coronavirus rise to 518 patients statewide.
Dec. 20: Indiana records more than 1.2 million positive coronavirus tests. A 20-person team of medical personnel from the U.S. Navy will assist IU Health Methodist Hospital at the request of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, News 8 learns.
Dec. 22: Colts defense end Kemoko Turay and cornerback Rock Ya-Sin are added to the Reserve/COVID-19 list.
Dec. 23: A men’s basketball game featuring Butler University at St. John’s University in Queens, N.Y., was canceled over COVID issues with the Red Storm team. Colts guard Mark Glowinski is added to the Reserve/COVID-19 list. Gary Mayor Jerome Prince ordered all city department heads to immediately identify employees who must report in-person for work and the remote workers who can do their jobs from home.
Dec. 24: Colts guard Quenton Nelson is added to the Reserve/COVID-19 list.
Dec. 25: Before the Colts defeated the Cardinals 22-16, linebacker Darius Leonard, wide receiver Zach Pascal, and safety Khari Willis were put on the Reserve/COVID-19 list.
Dec. 27: Colts safety Jahleel Addae, cornerback T.J. Carrie, linebacker Malik Jefferson, running back Marlon Mack and tackle Braden Smith added to the Reserve/COVID-19 list.
Dec. 28: Colts quarterback Carson Wentz was put on the Reserve/COVID-19 list. A Ball State men’s basketball game at Northern Illinois is delayed a day due to COVID concerns.
Dec. 29: Holcomb extends the state’s health emergency order for a 22nd time, through Feb. 1.
Dec. 30: Pacers players Malcolm Brogdon, Chris Duarte and Isaiah Jackson enter the NBA’s COVID-19 protocols. The Indiana Chamber of Commerce announces new partnerships to help employers with on-site vaccine clinics and access to COVID-19 testing.
Dec. 31: Indiana’s 2021 death toll from coronavirus totals 9,453 (as recorded through March 2, 2022). Colts long snapper Luke Rhodes placed on Reserve/COVID-19 list.

2022

Jan. 1, 2022: Indiana’s death toll rises above 19,000. Indiana State University will require that all students and staff show proof of vaccination or be tested each week for COVID-19. The University of Notre Dame reinstates a mask requirement for all students, staff and campus visitors as the omicron variant fuels a surge in COVID-19 cases across the country. Kroger will end benefits for unvaccinated workers, and will begin charging a $50 monthly fee to unvaccinated salaried workers and managers who are enrolled in a company health care plan.
Jan. 2: Rapid tests at state and local health department testing sites are limited to people 18 and younger, and symptomatic people 50 and older.
Jan. 3: Indiana records more than 1.3 million positive coronavirus tests.
Jan. 6: Colts safety Andrew Sendejo placed on Reserve/COVID-19 list.
Jan. 10: Indiana records more than 1.4 million positive coronavirus tests.
Jan. 5: Indiana State Heath Commissioner Dr. Kristina Box has tested positive for COVID-19 and is isolating at home, the Indiana Department of Health announces.
Jan. 11: The Purdue-Michigan men’s basketball game is postponed because the Wolverines have fewer than seven scholarship players cleared to play due to COVID-19 protocols.
Jan. 16: Indiana’s death toll rises above 20,000.
Jan. 17: Indiana records more than 1.5 million positive coronavirus tests.
Jan. 18: The Indiana House of Representatives passed a bill banning employers from requiring the COVID-19 vaccine unless they allow certain exemptions.
Jan. 21: Indiana sets record for most new cases of coronavirus tallied in a single day, 17,684. The University of Notre Dame requires its students and employees to receive and verify the status of a booster vaccination.
Jan. 25: Indiana records more than 1.6 million positive coronavirus tests.
Jan. 27: IUPUI men’s basketball team’s game at Oakland University was canceled due to COVID-19 implications in the Jaguars’ program.
Jan. 29: IUPUI men’s basketball team’s game at University of Detroit Mercy was canceled due to COVID-19 implications in the Jaguars’ program.
Jan. 30: Indiana’s death toll rises above 21,000.
Jan. 31: Pacers player Domantas Sabonis enters NBA health and safety protocols.
Feb. 18: Purdue University removes its mask mandate in most indoor spaces, inducing athletic venues.
Feb. 23: Indiana schools no longer need to trace contact or report positive cases to state health officials.
Feb. 24: Indiana’s death toll rises above 22,000.
Feb. 25: Gainbridge (formerly Bankers Life) Fieldhouse ends its mask recommendation.
Feb. 26: Testing and vaccinations outside Indianapolis Motor Speedway end.
Feb. 28: Indianapolis Public Schools ends its mask mandate.
March 3: Holcomb issues an executive order that ended the state’s health emergency, lasting nearly two years during the coronavirus pandemic.
March 4: Monroe County, which includes Indiana University, ends its mask mandate, although masks will still be required in health care settings and research areas at IU.
March 14: Support from the Indiana National Guard at hospitals and long-term care facilities ends.
May 9: Indianapolis Public Schools’ Center for Inquiry School 84 reinstates a mask mandate through May 24.
May 20: Hoosiers aged 5-11 can now receive the booster shot of the COVID-19 vaccine, state health officials say.
July 15: Indiana’s tally of confirmed COVID-19 deaths exceeds 23,000.
Nov. 23: Indiana Department of Health’s COVID-19 dashboard reports that the state’s tally of confirmed coronavirus deaths now exceeds 24,000.
Dec. 5: Community Health Network increases visitor restrictions.
Dec. 12: Community Health Network reinstates mandatory mask policy.

2023

Jan. 25, 2023: Mike Woodson, coach of the Indiana University men’s basketball team, did not lead a game because he was recovering from COVID-19.
May 16: Franciscan Health Indianapolis unveiled a monument to honor dedication shown by health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
June 1: Catalent Pharma Solutions, which grew as COVID-19 vaccine was in demand, tells employees that more layoffs are ahead.
Sept. 5: First lady Jill Biden tested positive for COVID-19 less than a week after she flew to Indiana and visiting Westfield High School.
Oct. 1: Westfield Mayor Andy Cook is released from the hospital after having COVID-19.
Oct. 23: Federal prosecutors announced Robert K. Hall, 73, of Bloomington, man was sentenced in federal court to three years in a federal prison for his role in a COVID-19 fraud scheme.
Oct. 24: The two candidates for mayor of Indianapolis talk about the how downtown Indianapolis has struggled to emerge from the COVID pandemic during a debate live on WISH-TV.
Nov. 21: Class-action lawsuits seeking refunds from colleges and universities for online classes during COVID violate Indiana law, the state’s highest court ruled.
Dec. 11: A surge in respiratory viral infections and the flu among children led Riley Hospital for Children to initiate visitor restrictions.
Dec. 21: Indianapolis-area hospitals joined together to instate similar visitor restrictions as cases of respiratory viruses rise: Marion County Public Health Department had encouraged IU Health, Ascension St. Vincent Hospital, Franciscan Health, Eskenazi Hospital, and Community Health Network.

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Note: Programs in Elkhart County, Fort Wayne and St. Joseph County have shut down.

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