Friends,

 

On Tuesday, Governor Holcomb announced an exciting new partnership that will add to Indiana’s COVID-19 testing capacity by 30,000 tests a week.

 

And yesterday, he announced a new program that will expand and centralize Indiana’s ability to conduct contact tracing of COVID-19 patients.

 

What is Contact Tracing?

Contact tracing is an important step to stopping the spread. This process allows the state to:

 

• Better trace who has been infected.
• Contact those they’ve come in contact with.
• Consult and treat those individuals directly and limit further exposure.

 

This new, centralized system will free up local health resources to focus on other localized health needs. And it’s conducted with a focus on health and privacy – health professionals are only gathering the information they need to track (and limit) the virus’ spread. And that information will stay private.

 

With our increase in testing, and a phased reopening likely coming in May, it is expected we’ll see an increase in positive COVID-19 cases. Contact tracing is another vital tool to slowing the spread as more Hoosiers are out and about.

 

There have been a number of positive developments already this week in our COVID-19 fight – an increase in testing that will add 100,000 tests a month, the new contact tracing partnership, an announcement that Indiana has acquired the means to clean, sanitize and reuse several pieces of PPE, and the reopening of some elective medical procedures.

 

“It’s incredible what they’re doing.” – President Trump on Indiana’s COVID-19 response

 

As Governor Holcomb said, we’re nearing the end of the second quarter. At some point soon, our state will open back up and, with your continued diligence, we’ll be able to do so in a safe, measured and healthy way.

 

#INThisTogether,
-Your Holcomb Crew