A Senate committee dramatically scales back the House’s vaccine mandate bill. The Indiana Department of Health releases new school COVID-19 guidance. And COVID-19 data continues to improve.

Some Indiana school districts no longer need to do contact tracing. The state’s COVID-19 cases have continued to slow as it reaches 1.6 million confirmed cases. And the state surpassed 20,000 dead, reporting its most recent 1,000 in just two weeks.

The Indiana Department of Health previously required all schools to report positive cases and close contacts to the state. But schools with mask mandates in place now only have to report the positive cases.

As the omicron surge continues, health officials in some states have given up trying to trace close contacts in all cases. That shift, combined with recent changes in isolation guidelines, is leaving many confused and unsure what to do.

The data included name, address, email, date of birth and demographic information collected during contact tracing.

The additional $12.9 million will help fund rental assistance, non-congregate shelter for individuals experiencing homelessness, contact tracing, and food assistance programs that have seen increased need amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Community health leaders say that for many people, answering a contract tracer's call is easier said than done. That's especially true for those more at risk of contracting the virus, like members of Black and Latinx communities. They have been harder hit by the virus, but they also have a history of mistrust of the government.

Indiana is investing millions of dollars in contact tracing, and health experts say it can help isolate and reduce the spread of the coronavirus. But schools are reporting challenges with that process.

Experts say contact tracing is key to understanding and managing the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and many community members have questions about the process.

State Health Commissioner Kris Box says information gathered by the state contact tracing call center remains private.