INDIANAPOLIS -- It's top of mind for many Hoosiers. When will the state lift its stay-at-home order?
Governor Holcomb is not tipping his hand about the current order, which expires at the end of the day on Friday.
At a Monday news conference, the governor made it appear a decision would not come until Friday. Holcomb said he wants to be "surrest and safest in every step that we make." "We have to make sure that the one thing we are mindful of is the density of it all," said Holcomb, in referring to COVID-19. "So we haven't singled any mass gatherings, but we are aware that that is where it can spread the fastest."
Also at the top of the concerns list: When will it be safe to reopen schools? Are we looking at a shutdown that continues into the fall semester? The governor says he may have a better idea by mid-May.
Monday's news conference came as sobering new COVID-19 numbers were reported by the state. 963 new cases of the virus have been confirmed, the largest one-day jump since the state began to release numbers.
The upturn is mostly the result of 1,025 positive cases of the virus in Cass County. Late last week, the Cass number was around 200. But there's been a major COVID-19 outbreak among workers at the Tyson pork plant in Logansport, where 2,200 people work. All are being tested while the plant is closed.
Indiana's confirmed COVID-19 death toll is 844, with another 88 deaths likely caused by the virus.
Long-term care facilities account for just under one third of all cases. The state reports 260 of 844 deaths taking place among people who live and work at long-term care homes.
