When Gov. Eric Holcomb first laid out a five-stage plan for reopening Indiana in May, an ambitious date of July 4 was selected for the final phase of lifting restrictions.
As the weeks passed, with COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths steadily declining, all signs pointed to a full reopening on Independence Day.
During the same time span, the virus wreaked havoc in other states.
While Indiana’s numbers declined across most of the state, more deadly cases — and outbreaks — started popping up in pockets across the country.
Thirty-two states, including neighboring Michigan and Ohio, are dealing with flare-ups while states like Arizona, Texas and Florida are battling sharp increases in cases, hospitalizations and deaths. Health experts now say the virus in Florida and other Southern states risks becoming uncontrollable, with case numbers too large to trace.
Since the start of the Back on Track Indiana plan, Holcomb has emphasized he and the Indiana State Department of Health could hit the pause button, or move the state back a stage, if needed.
In late June, state health officials in Indiana started to see an uptick in COVID-19 hospitalizations — the top metric Indiana health experts have monitored — after a general downward trend through much of June. On June 26, there were 595 people hospitalized with COVID-19 in Indiana. By June 30, that number had climbed to 695. (By Sunday, July 5, the count was back down, to 613.)
During his weekly press conference on July 1, Holcomb said he and his team had kept a close eye on data both inside and out of the state and decided it’s best to delay a total reopening to July 17.
So, instead of moving to Stage 5, Indiana is now in the middle of Stage 4.5.
State officials made the right decision by coming down on the side of caution.
Holcomb also has unveiled a new campaign called #MaskUpHoosiers, which aims to educate the public on the importance of helping slow the spread of the virus by wearing face masks in public spaces. The move came a day before Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett announced Marion County would become the fourth county to require masks, starting today (Thursday, July 9).
While Holcomb and the state health department have advocated for mask use for months, they’re hoping that more people will start to get the message as the state inches closer to allowing full-capacity crowds at indoor venues.
By pausing the advancement, officials can take more time to evaluate the current status of the virus within the state and develop more measures to help prevent its spread.
Other states have proven that disastrous outcomes can happen if activity resumes too quickly, and the same could happen in Indiana.
Hoosiers can be inconvenienced and wait until July 17. It’s better to hit pause now instead of suffering a setback later.
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