Indiana’s stay-at-home order will be extended to May 1, but it still remains to be seen what adjustments may be made. During state officials’ COVID-19 briefing Friday, Governor Eric Holcomb said he plans to officially issue the extension on Monday.
“That’s not to say that we’re going to pull up immediately after that,” he explained. “It just means it’s going to allow us to make some changes or some tweaks, some accommodations, as we see appropriate around the State of Indiana.”
One restriction that may possibly be lifted is the ban on elective procedures in hospitals, if certain parts of the state have enough personal protective equipment. The governor said he’s encouraged by the proposals he’s seen so far from various industries about how they may safely reopen, but he wasn’t ready to share which specific sectors may open first. “You’ll have to wait until Monday and then until May 1, as we start to very methodically pull more and more folks back online,” Holcomb said.
But Community Physician Network Chief Physician Executive Dr. Ram Yeleti cautioned that there’s no going back to “pre-COVID.” “It will get better, but let’s not assume that things will be like they were before because that’s just not going to be the case,” he said during Friday’s press conference. “So always wear your mask, wash your hands, and don’t touch your face.”
State Health Commissioner Dr. Kris Box added that high-risk individuals may continue to have to avoid large crowds until a vaccine is available.
