INDIANAPOLIS (WTWO/WAWV) — Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb on Wednesday declared that Indiana will remain on Stage 4.5 in response to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis and that the mask mandate has been extended for another 30 days. The mandate was set to expire tonight and Stage 4.5 had previously been extended through Aug. 27.

Holcomb called the measures he has taken to help slow the spread of the virus “a work in progress. Our work is not done until we’re on the other side of COVID-19.”

To those who bristle at the mask mandate, Holcomb said, “I understand their frustration. I’d like it to go away as well. But we have to deal with reality. … Is it spreading when we let down our guard? … We have to look at it from the perspective that this is not just to protect ourselves.”

Indiana State Health Commissioner Dr. Kristina Box reported 971 new COVID-19 cases have been reported since the last update, bringing the total number of cases in Indiana to 89.359. Holcomb said the state was at a 7.3% positivity rate, meaning that the state has plateaued.

Indiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Loretta Rush announced The Landlord and Tenant Settlement Conference Program to help tenants and landlords resolve their financial issues.