COVID Shutdown

CHOUDRANT — COVID-19 has shut down the village of Choudrant.

Five of the village’s six employees who handle day-to-day operations have been diagnosed with the respiratory virus, Mayor Bill Sanderson said Wednesday.

Because of the outbreak, the Village Hall is closed and all water, garbage and other public works emergency situations for the community of about 1,000 residents are being handled by outside contractors. The use of contractors will be in place for at least 30 days, Sanderson said.

Village water customers should expect their bills to be a minimum of two weeks late, he said. Meters would normally be read this week, but with all four public works employees ill, that’s not happening.

The village’s Board of Aldermen meeting that had been scheduled for Monday has been canceled.

Sanderson said he doesn’t know if the ill employees have the more contagious Delta variant of COVID. One worker is hospitalized. Others range from exhibiting symptoms to being asymptomatic.

Some of the sickened workers have been vaccinated, while some are not, Sanderson said.

Sanderson, who had COVID last year and is vaccinated, said he is not ill. But he has a message for constituents.

“I strongly urge every resident of Choudrant and of the entire parish and state, please be vigilant. Maintain separation. Use whatever protection you are comfortable with, and please do your part in helping curtail the spread of COVID.”

“Of utmost importance, please keep our staff and the members of the community in your prayers,” he said.