COVID-19 has now been reported in all 92 Indiana counties, according to the latest update from the Indiana State Department of Health. Now, State Health Commissioner Dr. Kris Box says the peak is still likely a few weeks away.
“As our social distancing measures and requirements have taken effect, it has really made a change in our models, and we are now expecting that surge, potentially, at the end of April for, probably, Marion County first, based on their numbers, and then other parts in the state in the first couple of weeks of May,” Box said during state officials’ COVID-19 briefing Monday.
Governor Eric Holcomb said he may announce tweaks to his stay-at-home order on Friday, which would take effect the following Tuesday. “We’ll continue to look at the facts on the ground as we make those decisions,” Holcomb explained. “I mean, what will drive us is making sure that we have the capacity to care for those who are in need. That ensures that we don’t collapse our health care system. That’s going to enable us to get back to work.”
Holcomb said Indiana is still in the mitigation phase of its COVID-19 response. The next step will be to trace the contacts of those who’ve tested positive, to determine when it’s safe for them to go back to work. Even when everyone is working again, the governor said there will be a “new normal.” “There’ll be different standards, in terms of hygiene and cleanliness and some will have to wear masks, et cetera – a long list that we’ll get into more as the week unfolds,” Holcomb said.
Holcomb also defended his authority to make these executive orders, saying his administration has acted constitutionally and that he’ll continue to work with state and federal lawmakers, as well as President Trump’s administration.
