INDIANAPOLIS — One year ago today, Gov. Eric Holcomb, R-Indiana, signed the state's first stay-at-home order in an effort to fight the coronavirus pandemic.
The unprecedented step came as the state was nearing 400 cases of the virus, including more than 150 in Marion County.
The initial order was supposed to last from March 24 through April 7. But before that deadline, Indiana reached the 100th COVID-related death. So the order was extended to April 3.
And 45 days after the first reported death, more than 1,000 Hoosiers had died with the virus.
The message then remains the same today: It takes everyone doing their part to beat this virus.
"To all the healthcare heroes pulling double shifts putting their lives on hold so they can tend to others, this is your finest hour," Governor Holcomb had said in his first stay-at-home order address. "To everyone who's playing by the rules, to all those companies contributing to our effort to slow the spread, we say thank you."
The state reached the final stage of Governor Holcomb's re-opening plan by October. And while we are stilling in this new normal, much progress has been made.
Cases and deaths from the virus are on the downswing. And more Hoosiers are getting vaccinated.
Here's a look at the latest data, as of Tuesday morning:
- 854,578 Hoosiers are fully vaccinated.
- 516 new cases of the virus, all occurring on Sunday.
- The seven-day positivity rate is not at just over 3%.
- For the first time in a year, just one new COVID-related death is being reported.
To date, 12,537 Hoosiers have died from COVID-19. We expect a full update from the governor on Tuesday evening at 5:30 p.m. You can watch that live on WRTV.
