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White House COVID Task Force warns of rising Indiana hospitalizations, increasing spread

Coronavirus COVID-19
Posted at 11:13 AM, Oct 21, 2020
and last updated 2020-10-21 11:13:20-04

INDIANAPOLIS – The White House Coronavirus Task Force warns of increasing COVID-19 spread and rising hospitalizations in Indiana, according to a report obtained by ABC News.

The report, which was prepared Sunday, says the “epidemic control situation in Indiana continues to worsen. Indiana is in the red zone for cases, indicating 101 or more new cases per 100,000 population last week, with the 15th highest rate in the country.

The report details an increase in hospitalizations in the state, as 17% of available hospital beds are occupied by COVID-19 patients.

The task force recommended state and local leaders emphasize compliance with restrictions on public and private gathering sizes, especially indoors.

“Indiana previously had success in large part due to a well-developed, gradated set of social distancing measures for communities based on transmission indicators,” the report states. “The lessening of mitigation measures has been followed by an increase in cases, hospitalizations, and deaths.”

It also calls on those leaders to work with the business community to ask Hoosiers to wear masks, keep distanced and avoid large gatherings.