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Democratic Governor Candidate Woody Myers Says It's Too Soon For Businesses To Reopen

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Dr. Woody Myers, a former state health commissioner, says he thinks the state needs to increase its testing capacity to 10,000 tests a day before some businesses are allowed to reopen.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Dr. Woody Myers, a former state health commissioner, says he thinks the state needs to increase its testing capacity to 10,000 tests a day before some businesses are allowed to reopen.

Indiana Democratic gubernatorial candidate Woody Myers says it’s too soon for Governor Eric Holcomb to begin loosening COVID-19 restrictions on Hoosier businesses.

Dr. Myers, a former state health commissioner, says he thinks the state needs to increase its testing capacity to 10 thousand tests a day before some businesses are allowed to reopen.

“We are not even at the end of the beginning of novel coronavirus, of COVID-19 in Indiana,” he says.

The most tests run in a single day so far in Indiana is about 38 hundred.

Governor Holcomb has indicated some businesses might be allowed to reopen in the coming days, if data shows health care systems aren’t being overwhelmed.

But Myers says the state needs more time.

“We haven’t seen a sustained decrease in the number of cases. We certainly know that there are pockets that are being found every day of clusters that have not been adequately addressed. So, that worries me deeply,” Myers says.

Myers says even taking precautions – like temperature checks and wearing masks and gloves – won’t be enough if Indiana doesn’t wait long enough to reopen businesses.

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

Brandon J. Smith has previously worked as a reporter and anchor for KBIA Radio in Columbia, MO. Prior to that, he worked for WSPY Radio in Plano, IL as a show host, reporter, producer and anchor. His first job in radio was in another state capitol, in Jefferson City, as a reporter for three radio stations around Missouri. Brandon graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia with a Bachelor of Journalism in 2010, with minors in political science and history. He was born and raised in Chicago.