INDIANAPOLIS — The State of Indiana is releasing a new map showing the spread of COVID-19 in each county.
The map could hold the key to how each county and school system decide to handle the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
"We know that counties and especially schools have been looking for more guidance," Dr. Kristina Box, the state health commissioner, said.
More guidance is on the way.
Box said the state will be releasing a color-coded map indicating the level of COVID-19 transmission in each county throughout the state.
The color or score for each county, however, does not trigger requirements for them to do anything, but are simply suggestions.
The colors range from blue to yellow, orange and red, with blue being the least restrictive and red being the most restrictive.
To decide the level each county is at each week, the health department will be looking at two metrics — the number of new cases and the percent positivity.
"For percent positivity, less than 5 percent will receive a zero," Box said.
For schools, this is where the map becomes important.
"Blue indicates minimal community spread," Box said. "The recommendations would be that schools operate all grades in-person but limit activity when social distancing is not feasible."
It isn't until the red level that the state recommends all grades consider some hybrid of virtual learning.
Box said the map looked different today than it did last week and said she expects it to change each week depending on the data.
The Indiana State Department of Health also sent a survey to school principals to designate a person to do daily reporting to the state on its COVID-19 cases. The state plans to build a school dashboard that will be publicly available on their website by the end of the month.
