As mask mandate ends communities across NE Indiana change how they fight spread of COVID-19

It depends on who you speak to and where you are.

Some government officials sharing a cautious optimism as they choose to lift mask mandates and vaccines become available to everyone.

Others are concerned that this is happening so soon.

I'm chris mullooly.

Thanks for joining.

12-oh-1 a-m...the mask mandate in indiana will be lifted.

It'll allow to decide how to enforce masking up... along with more of us become eligible to receive a covid 19 vaccine.the fight against covid-19 is starting to look different though depending on where you are in indiana and could even be different depending on the town or coun caleb saylor spoke with government agencies in wabash and wells county today and is live tonight down in bluffton.caleb..

How are different coutnies tackling this issue.it depends on who you speak to and where you are.

Some government officials sharing a cautious optimism as they choose to lift mask mandates and vaccines become available to everyone.

Others are concerned that this is happening so soon, and that a piecemeal plan and missed 3 vaccination times could put them behind in the race against covid-19 ?masks or no masks, get a vaccine where you live or travel for a sooner appointment.

These are decisions many face in the fight against covid-19.

In wabash county, commissioners decided today that employees must wear masks in county government buildings until may 10th.

Wabash county commissioner barry eppley cited a recent spike in covid-19 case .

Acknowledge that wabash county has had an increase in the number of covid cases in the last couple e weeks and we been moved back into the yellow as a status.

City of wabash mayor scott longe doing away with the mandate, citing data from the regenstrief institute showing a downward trend in cases over the last few weeks.

He said in a statement today hile i somewhat con that this is occurring as families are travel the country on spring break, i am not pposed to the governor order to lift the mask mandate in favor of a mask advisory.

In wells county, which has the second highest positivity rate in the state, marlene hoag with the health department sharince at concern.

Spring break just ended, easter family get-togethers and e still seeing some positivity, our county is orange right now.

So, we would like to see the masks continue for a little bit longer.

However, hoag says both wells county and city of bluffton are switching to mask advisories for their buildings, which she says will make the fight against the virus harder.

On top of that, hoag says people are starting to skip their appointments for vaccines and scheduling sooner appointments elsewhere, putting their weekly allotment of 900 vaccines from the state at risk of being decreased specially now with the introduction of the johnson & johnson and the one shot, a lot of people have changed their minds, would like to get the one shot and get it over and done wite had a e lot of no-shows, which just makes it harder to keep your schedule ?the .- 3 recommendation from the state department of health is still to wear masks when social distanci be followed, but as we reported last week, individual businesses will also be allowed to decide how to enforce mask wearing inside their buildings, so you may want to keep the mask with you just in case.

Reporting live in bluffton, caleb saylor, fox 55 news.