LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Louisville Metro health director Dr. Sarah Moyer said the fact that gatherings of 25 people are now allowed across the Ohio River in Indiana "really scares me."
Moyer's comment came Wednesday as Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer continued to criticize Indiana's faster reopening timeline amid the pandemic.
Starting this week, Indiana has allowed stores to reopen at reduced capacity, along with social gatherings of up to 25, while restaurants can reopen at reduced capacity next week.
Kentucky's less-detailed plan wouldn't ease such restrictions until late May at the earliest.
Fischer pleaded with Louisville residents not to venture to southern Indiana for non-emergency trips such as visiting a restaurant, getting a haircut or shopping.
"The virus is still out there; we wish it were not," Fischer said. " ... All the sacrifices we have made could be for nothing if we open our economy too quickly ... I understand the restlessness we all feel, but we’re in for a marathon... The data tells us it's just too soon to go to restaurants and malls."
Fischer reiterated that Indiana has seen roughly four times the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths as Kentucky despite having only 50% more people.
Indiana has also tested twice as many people as Kentucky, or 1.8% of its population, compared to 1.3% for Kentucky.
Fischer said Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb told him recently that he would not object if county leaders in southern Indiana wanted to choose a slower timeline to be in line with Louisville.
Holcomb said last week that his plan is gradual and responsible, and that there are bound to be differences between states in how they reopen.
