INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A Republican lawmaker is pushing to strip away much of the authority Indiana’s state and local public health officials have used to impose restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The bill amended by an Indiana House committee Monday prohibit health officials from steps such as imposing limits on the number of customers allowed inside a business, along with blocking restrictions on religious services or private schools.
Bill sponsor Rep. Bob Morris of Fort Wayne maintains state and local officials had gone too far with such actions. Democratic Rep. Rita Fleming of Jeffersonville, a medical doctor, argued that rolling back coronavirus safeguards now wasn’t wise.
