Dr. Woody Myers Cautions Governor Against Loosening Self-Isolation Guidelines

Indianapolis, IND – Indiana Candidate for Governor Dr. Woody Myers today is cautioning Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb against taking steps to relax social distancing guidelines.

“The Vice-President Mike Pence-led Coronavirus Task Force announced a new approach to let certain people go back to work prematurely if followed by the states,” said Myers. “As a physician, business leader and former Indiana Health Commissioner, I caution our current Governor against any lessening of the social distancing and self-isolation guidelines,” said Myers. “We have not yet seen a peak in Indiana cases and relaxing guidelines prematurely could cost Hoosier lives. When conditions change, the task force approach should only be adopted in combination with antibody testing as a safety measure when Hoosiers are returning to work in essential jobs.

“The fact is that we cannot now know the Indiana prevalence of coronavirus infection because our testing rates are abysmal. Exposure alone cannot predict someone’s immunity. Indiana’s economy should not reopen until our hospital systems are out of crisis mode, testing capacity substantially increases, a surveillance system is in place, and until we have a sustained virus case reduction. Right now, we are woefully behind in these areas and, consequently, state leaders must carefully weigh proposals from Washington, D.C. to loosen self-isolation guidelines without an aggressive testing strategy.

“The challenge in Indiana also is that guidelines for ‘essential’ or ‘critical’ workers have not been clearly defined and guidance has been constantly changing. Any hasty suggestion to relax restrictions pertaining to this group of workers could needlessly put Hoosiers’ health and safety at risk. We know people who are asymptomatic can spread the virus, so the definition of asymptomatic is not medically-appropriate for determining risk. I strongly urge state leaders to hold back on loosening restrictions for the foreseeable future until we have proper testing fully in place. The health of Hoosiers should remain the priority.”