Indiana reports 13 more COVID-19 deaths, 970 more cases

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Thirteen more people have died from COVID-19 in Indiana and 970 more cases of the coronavirus have been confirmed in the state, health officials said Thursday.

The new COVID-19 fatalities occurred since Monday and pushed Indiana's total to 2,946, including confirmed and presumed cases, since the state's first death was recorded in mid-March, the Indiana State Department of Health said.

The state's 970 new confirmed cases raise Indiana's total number of confirmed cases to 65,253, the state agency said.

Gov. Eric Holcomb announced Wednesday that Indiana will keep its current coronavirus restrictions in place for at least most of August to encourage compliance with safety measures. The Republican governor's announcement came amid continued concerns about recent growth in the state's COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.

Statewide limits including crowd sizes for restaurants, bars and public events would remain in effect until Aug. 27, Holcomb said. He had lifted the state's stay-at-home order and began easing business restrictions in early May, but he's delayed the final lifting of crowd limits for the past month.

Holcomb is leaving it up to city and county officials to take any more aggressive measures, such as closing bars, which have been linked to a rise in cases among young adults across the country. That's despite fears among federal officials that Indiana and other Midwestern states could see a significant jump in COVID-19 infections.