INDIANAPOLIS — Gov. Eric Holcomb and state health officials said during a virtual news conference Wednesday that coronavirus numbers around the state are improving, showcased by several points, including State Health Commissioner Dr. Kristina Box saying she believes trick-or-treating can still happen in a pandemic.

With six weeks to go, she’s clear in saying it’s still early.

She also has a few recommended changes, including not letting children pick out their own candy from a common bucket. Instead, adults should pass out the candy to kids and do so after washing their hands.

She also said large Halloween parties are a bad idea.

“If a county’s or community’s numbers are low, I think Halloween can occur safely,” Box said. “Again, it’s about washing your hands carefully, right? It’s about not letting your kids dig into that pumpkin, that bucket, and eat it as they’re walking around.”

She plans to give more advice soon.

On another front, the Big Ten’s decision to bring football back starting Oct. 23, the Republican governor said he supports the move.

He said getting football back was even a topic in talks with President Donald Trump’s administration in recent weeks. Holcomb also offered any help he could provide to both the president of Indiana and Purdue universities.

The governor said he believes the conference protocol makes it possible for football to happen safely.

“It’s quite elaborate,” he said. “I hope that Oct. 23, I think is what they put out, I hope that there is a kickoff around that time. I hope we get to see where the (Old Oaken) Bucket ends up, whether Bloomington or West Lafayette.”

What else could change? What about the state’s mask mandate, set to expire at 11:59 p.m. Sept. 25? The governor said it’s too early to give a preview of his plans as officials continue to monitor the effects of the Labor Day holiday on the spread of the coronavirus.

Officials also said they know cold weather is ahead, which will bring more people indoors and into closer contact with each other.

“I feel good about the direction we’re heading,” Holcomb said. “If you rewind the tape and look back seven days or 14 days or 30 days, we weren’t in this position.”

Wednesday was also the first day school districts could begin to input their coronavirus data into a statewide portal being developed to allow anyone to see how many cases each school has. Health officials hope to unveil that to the general public in two weeks.

Source: WISH