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

Indiana Democratic gubernatorial candidate Woody Myers says it’s too soon for Gov. 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 10,000 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,” Myers says.

The most tests run in a single day so far in Indiana is about 3,800.

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," Myer says. "So, that worries me deeply.”

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.

Contact Brandon at bsmith@ipbs.org or follow him on Twitter at @brandonjsmith5.

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.