Gov. Holcomb Targeting Early May To Re-Open Indiana Economy

This doesn't mean our economy will all re-open at once.

(Indianapolis, Ind.) - Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb is targeting early May for possible reopening of the Indiana economy. 

During a daily briefing Thursday, Holcomb said he would not put an exact date on when the economy will re-open, citing that six other neighboring states will work in close coordination to loosen restrictions that have largely shut down states the past month. 

Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois and Kentucky are among the states that will be working together.

Holcomb said four key areas will be considered before loosening restrictions, including sustained control of new infections and hospitalizations; enhanced ability to test and trace; sufficient health care capacity to handle resurgence; and best practices for social distancing in the workplace.

"Phasing in sectors of our economy will be most effective when we work together as a region," said Holcomb "This doesn’t mean our economy will reopen all at once, or that every state will take the same steps at the same time. But close coordination will ensure we get this right."

Indiana has reported nearly 450,000 jobless claims in the last month. Re-opening the economy slowly should help soften the blow to unemployment. 

"Over time, people will go back to work, restaurants will reopen, and things will go back to normal. We look forward to working together as one region to tackle this challenge together," Holcomb said. 

To date, Indiana has seen 9,542 positive COVID-19 cases and 477 deaths.

For more information, visit https://www.coronavirus.in.gov/.