Edwards: Louisiana remaining in Phase Two

Louisiana will remain in Phase Two with a mask mandate in place for at least another 21 days, Gov. John Bel Edwards said Tuesday.

“We need to stay the course,” Edwards said.

Though the state had begun making modest gains in decreasing the spread of the novel coronavirus, the numbers still aren’t good enough to move to fewer restrictions, Edwards said during a press briefing in Baton Rouge.

Edwards said it’s too early to know whether the gains have changed Louisiana’s COVID-19 trajectory to one that will be sustained.

“But what it indicates is that current mitigation measures are working,” Edwards said.

Edwards’ announcement came during a day when cases of COVID-19 in Lincoln Parish continued to climb. According to the daily report released by the Louisiana Department of Health, Lincoln Parish now has a cumulative total of 733 cases of the sometimes-fatal respiratory illness.

That’s a 13-case jump over Monday’s report.

The current Phase Two order is set to expire Friday. The pending new order will run until Aug. 28. That means bars will remain closed to on-premises consumption, and businesses and churches held to a 50% occupancy level.

Indoor social gatherings like wedding receptions, class reunions and parties will also still be limited to 50 total people.

The order further extends the mask mandate that’s been in effect since July 11.

“It’s not asking too much for people to wear a mask,” Edwards said.

Edwards also encouraged Louisianans to limit their travel outside their homes. Mitigation measures now in place track those recommended by the White House Coronavirus Task Force, Edwards said.

The task force continues to tag Louisiana as a “red state” based on the number of COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people. Louisiana has had more cased per capita than another state and a positivity rate that exceeds 10%.