Holcomb To Extend 'Stay-At-Home' Order, National Guard Assesses Hospital Capacity

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.

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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.