INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Governor Eric Holcomb is asking that gatherings be limited to no more than 250 people. It has led to the cancellation of many events, but health officials say it’s for the greater good.

It can be inconvenient, even frustrating for events to be abruptly canceled, but these measures are all about the numbers and how quickly they grow.

The Centers for Disease Control released a chart showing how taking precautions can fall on the curve.

Health experts are trying to avoid the mountain on the chart or spike in cases. If it happens too quickly, there will not be enough hospital beds or ventilators for treating all patients.

Instead, they want to flatten the curve and create more of a hill shape, spreading out the number of coronavirus cases over more time and staying below the health care system capacity line.

Health officials say social distancing is an important thing for everyone to practice during this time.

It gives health officials more time to diagnose cases, treat them and find contacts. It also limits the number of people an infected person can spread the virus

The World Health Organization is reminding you, that it’s especially important to stay home if you feel sick and even if you feel well, you should work from home if you can. Avoid places like the gym and social gatherings as well.

“But it’s important for everyone to know that it is going to be difficult for some time. That there are measures that need to be put in place, but these measures are temporary. You know, all of these measures that are put in place may seem aggressive, may seem over the top, but we know that if you can separate people, then you restrict the possibility of this virus from passing from one person to another,” Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, infectious disease epidemiologist for the World Health Organization said.

Health experts say if there are fewer people out and about, fewer people will get sick and those who do will be able to receive better treatment because the system won’t be overloaded.