INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb said he will continue to pause plans to reopen the state’s economy for four more weeks after state health officials reported more than 6,400 new coronavirus cases statewide over the past week.
Most of Indiana, including Bartholomew County, will remain in Stage 4.5 of a five-stage plan through Aug. 27, which keeps many of the restrictions in Stage 4 in place. Those restrictions include no social gatherings of more than 250 people, a 75% occupancy limit at in-person dining establishments and 50% capacity at bars and nightclubs.
It is the second time Holcomb has extended Stage 4.5 since first announcing he would hold off on moving to Stage 5 on July 1.
“I want to be safe, not sorry,” Holcomb said Wednesday during an online press briefing.
The announcement came a day after Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government’s top infectious disease expert, warned that there are “early indications” of a surge of COVID-19 in the Midwest, including in Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee, where test positivity rates are increasing.
“That is a surefire sign that you really need to be careful,” Fauci said Tuesday during an interview on Good Morning America.
The percentage of tests coming back positive for COVID-19 in Indiana has continued to trend higher than lows seen in mid-June, and the state has seen more than 6,400 new positive cases over the past week, or roughly 10% of all cases identified since March, said Indiana State Health Commissioner Dr. Kristina Box.
As of Wednesday, the seven-day average test positivity rate was 6.8% in Indiana, compared to 4.5% in mid-June, Box said.
In addition, state health officials reported that 837 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 across Indiana as of Tuesday, down from 907 hospitalizations the day before. There were 595 hospitalizations across the state on June 26, according to the Indiana State Department of Health.
At least 2,733 Hoosiers have died from the virus, including 47 Bartholomew County residents.
Last week, Holcomb signed an executive order requiring most people in the state age 8 years or older to wear a mask or face covering at least through Aug. 26 while in public in an effort to slow the spread of the virus.
“We are nowhere near what we see in Florida, Arizona, Texas and other places, but because we did see an uptick, not only in our hospital admissions, but in our percent positivity and our number of positive cases, that’s why we’ve stayed at (Stage) 4.5, that’s why we’ve done the mask mandate, that’s why we’re trying to be very careful now so that we don’t end up back in that same situation where our hospitals are overloaded with patients. We saw warning signs of that, and if we let our guard down we will be there, ” Box said.
