Holcomb Still Talking With Hospitals About Next Executive Order

Gov. Eric Holcomb didn’t shed any more light Tuesday on why he extended his latest COVID-19 executive order by just two days.

For months, Holcomb’s executive actions related to COVID-19 have been extended one month at a time. His previous order, which ran through August, dealt with federal and state aid programs and temporary licensing for some health care workers.

He extended that order Monday, but only through Wednesday, leaving many wondering what will come next. His office said the short extension allowed for more discussions about how to best support hospitals during the current surge of the virus.

Asked about his decision Tuesday, Holcomb said he wanted more time to "huddle up" with hospitals.

“We didn’t want to get ahead of ourselves and extend it for 30 days and then come back and make an edit,” Holcomb said.

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It’s not clear why those conversations with hospital systems weren’t finalized before Holcomb’s previous executive order expired.

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