Indiana is still in a critical time

Health officials are asking Hoosiers to continue to do their part in social distancing and wearing masks.

Right now, it is a critical time in Indiana.

A warning from local health officials tops our news tonight... they're making sure you don't lighten up on the fight against covid 19.

Good evening and thanks for joining.

Indiana is nearing it's projeted peak of covid 19 cases.

Officials say it could happen within the next 10 days... but one vigo county health leader is speaking out tonight... he's saying we're much more than 10 days away from the end of this.

News 10's sarah lehman is live in our newsroom.

She talked with vigo county health commissioner doctor darren brucken.

She has more on what could still be a long road ahead.

Health officials are saying right now is an extrememly important time to keep doing what you are doing.

That means staying at home... social distancing... and wearing masks and gloves when you're in public!

Pk} as we watch other states and countries fight the battle of covid - 19 -- many of us wonder when will we get back to normalcy?

"the question is is when.

Everybody wants to know."

Dr darren brucken -- the vigo county health commissioner.

Says we should not be looking at a certain date for that.

He says the time is fluid because... "if we pull the plug on it too soon or get lax too soon we're just going to have more people get sick and more people die then what we're already going to have."

He says health officials have been watching china for what they should and shouldn't do.

"china took their foot off the gas a little bit and they immediately had a spike.

They made some mistakes and the rest of the world saw that."

Brucken says we may see other states reaching their peaks -- but for indiana -- right now is a critical time!

"right now is incredibly important.

The next two weeks in particular.

I know with the national news coming through saying oh theres light at the end of the tunnel you know new york has already crested everything is starting to come down.

That means nothing for us locally.

That does not mean we are through this in fact we are just now still approaching our own indiana vertex.

/// now is the critical time where everybody has to hold the line and do their jobs" and he says we need to still be dilligent even after indiana hits it's peak.

"we're not there yet.

After that peak has been reached we still have the illness we still have the burden we still have the sickness in the hospital we still have the people on ventilators we still have people spreading the disease in the communnity.

The only way to help this desease burden is for people that are infected to remain infected themselves and not spread it to others."

I know this all seems like i know this all seems like a lot.

But dr brucken says if we can get through the rest of this month social distancing and taking precautions -- we could start to see the light at the end of the tunnel ourselves.

Reporting live in the newsroom sarah lehman news 10 back to you.