INDIANAPOLIS - Indiana Governor Eric J. Holcomb is giving his support to the growing number of school districts across the state issuing mask mandates for students and staff as they try to head off more COVID-19 outbreaks.

Several of the state's largest school districts in the Indianapolis area began requiring masks for indoor areas on Monday after starting the school year without such requirements. They're responding to an increase in COVID-19 infections among students as the more transmissible delta variant continues surging in the state.

Governor Holcomb, a Republican, said schools adopting mask mandates "are making a wise decision when the facts warrant it."