The Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) has issued an Air Quality Action Day on Saturday for counties in Northern Indiana due to forecasted high ozone levels in the area.

The state's SmogWatch Air Quality Forecast shows the following counties in the orange "Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups" category:

• St Joseph
• Elkhart
• Starke
• Marshall
• Kosciusko
• Fulton
• Pulaski
• Cass
• Miami
• Lake
• Newton
• Porter
• Jasper
• LaPorte

IDEM is asking residents to help reduce ozone while remaining safe during the COVID-19 pandemic by doing some of the following daily habits:

• Drive less
• Carpool, walk, bike, use public transportation, or work from home when possible
• Combine errands into one trip
• Avoid refueling your vehicle or using gasoline-powered lawn equipment until after 7 p.m.
• Keep your engine tuned and don’t let it idle
• Conserve energy by turning off lights and setting the thermostat to 75 degrees or above

Air Quality Action Days are in effect from midnight to 11:59 p.m. on the specified date.

Anyone who is sensitive to changes in air quality may be affected when ozone levels are high. Children, the elderly, and anyone with lung or heart conditions should reduce or avoid exertion and heavy work outdoors.

To sign up for air quality alerts or learn more about ozone, click here.