Indiana does not have to choose between protecting the lives of Hoosiers and protecting the state’s economy, according to Governor Eric Holcomb.
“Well, it’s not an either/or choice or decision,” he said during Wednesday’s press conference. “I want to get us back to work as soon as it’s safe, and that’s my job. That’ll be our priority. And just to repeat, we’ll do that when it’s safe to do that.”
Holcomb stressed that he’ll continue to let the data drive the decisions. Specifically, he’s looking for a sustained decline in COVID-19 cases; the ability to test and trace them; and whether there are enough hospital beds, ventilators, and personal protective equipment. The governor said he’s also working with various industries to see what accommodations can be put in place to conduct business safely.
“I’ve said from day one that while we may be one of the first to go into this, my goal is to get us to be one of the first out of it and to have a healthy workforce ready to go,” he added.
But Governor Holcomb said the reopening will not happen all at once and didn’t rule out the idea of doing it on a region-by-region basis. The governor could announce potential adjustments to his stay-at-home order Friday afternoon.
