Gov. Eric Holcomb announced Wednesday Indiana would join neighboring states in a statewide mask mandate, starting Monday, July 27. He signed the executive order on Friday.

Officials in Lake County and Fishers -- one of the largest Indianapolis suburbs -- have adopted face mask mandates for residents and businesses in an attempt to slow the coronavirus spread.

The Fishers Health Department passed an ordinance Monday night requiring people to wear masks in the city.

The new requirements were adopted by officials in Monroe County, home to Bloomington and Indiana Universitys main campus, and northern Indianas LaPorte County.

The CDC and other health experts say wearing masks in public helps to reduce the transmission of COVID-19. But the debate over requiring people to wear them has become fraught, even in a Midwest town at the heart of an outbreak.

More Indiana cities have decided to impose mask mandates as health officials reported Monday the state's most hospitalizations of people with coronavirus-related illnesses in nearly a month.

Indiana officials say the state will soon begin shipping personal protective equipment to Hoosier schools as they prepare to reopen to in-person classes.

The Indiana Economic Development Corporation is shutting down its PPE marketplace for small businesses and replacing it with a directory to connect Hoosiers with Indiana companies that sell the safety gear.

Marion County will join the state in it's reopening phase 4.5 on Thursday July 9. The county will also require face masks in public.

The state of Indiana is launching a public service campaign to urge Hoosiers to wear a mask when in public to help reduce the spread of COVID-19.