News, Arts and Culture from WFIU Public Radio and WTIU Public Television
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Holcomb Extends Indiana Stay-At-Home Order By 2 Weeks

Gov. Eric Holcomb announced Friday he will extend the state’s “Stay-At-Home” order through April 20. 

The state’s current order expires at 11:59 p.m. Monday. 

“We’ve taken the two-week approach because it gives us – we’re more nimble to be able to address the executive order in its entirety,” Holcomb says.

Holcomb says he’ll announce new changes to the order Monday, which could include some of what other states have done – like limiting the number of people allowed in stores.

READ MORE: Can I Go For A Walk? Here's What A 'Stay-At-Home' Order Really Does

LEE MAS: ¿Puedo Salir A Caminar? Esto Es Lo Que Significa Una Orden De Permanecer En Casa

Holcomb also announced the state has been granted a major disaster declaration, which gives the state access to additional federal funding – including reimbursements to the Indiana National Guard.

The Indiana National Guard has established a site survey team to potentially expand the state’s hospital capacity ahead of an anticipated surge of COVID-19 cases. 

Indiana National Guard Adjutant General Dale Lyles says the team will begin visiting sites this weekend, which include everything from closed hospital wings to unused large-scale facilities.

“The goal is to collect quickly, assess, and determine how best to expand Indiana’s hospital bed capacity, if needed,” Lyles says.

No specific facilities have been selected as of now. But Lyles says the Indiana State Department of Health has identified potential surge locations, which is where the Guard will start looking.

Contact Lauren at  lchapman@wfyi.org or follow her on Twitter at @laurenechapman_.

This is a rapidly evolving story, and we are working hard to bring you the most up-to-date information. However, we recommend checking the websites of the  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention  or the  Indiana State Department of Health  for the most recent numbers of COVID-19 cases.

For the latest news and resources about COVID-19, bookmark our Coronavirus In Indiana page  here.

Tags
Lauren Chapman is the digital producer for our statewide collaboration, and is based at WFYI in Indianapolis. She previous has worked at a basketball magazine, a top 30 newspaper, and a commercial television station. Lauren is new to public media, but in addition to her job "making stuff on the internet," she is also a radio and television reporter. She's a proud Ball State University alumna and grew up on the west side of Indianapolis.