Governor Lifts Restrictions of In-Patient Elective Surgeries

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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe Now“Happy New Year in advance, or happier New Year I’m sure of that. I think that’s a safe comment to make,” Governor Eric Holcomb said Wednesday as he held his last COVID-19 news briefing of 2020.
The governor says he will keep in place the current overarching executive action of COVID-related restrictions in place until January 24.
“I’ll be extending the current executive order for another three weeks. It will stay, for the most part, the same as before. However, we have made one update,” said Holcomb.
That update is the lifting of restrictions of non-urgent elective procedures in hospitals. On December 10, the governor ordered a halt of non-emergency, inpatient surgeries to free up hospital resources for COVID-19.
“Our nurses and doctors and assistants, understandably, are overwhelmed and beyond exhausted,” Holcomb said three weeks ago, as he issued a directive effective through January 3.
While more than 3,000 Hoosiers remain hospitalized from COVID-19, Holcomb says his administration has been in daily contact with hospitals who say they are able to manage the daily load of elective surgeries.
“We will lift that (order) and there won’t be a pause moving forward. Now, I say that today. But we monitor these numbers again every day every week,” said Holcomb.
View Gov. Holcomb’s full briefing in the video below: