March 16, 2020
Gov. Edwards Announces Aggressive Measures to Prevent the Spread of COVID-19
BATON ROUGE — Today, Gov. John Bel Edwards took additional significant measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in Louisiana, further limiting the size of gatherings to fewer than 50 people, closing casinos, bars and movie theaters and limiting restaurants to delivery, take out and drive-through orders only. These changes are effective statewide at midnight. Operations may be able to resume on April 13, however, the situation will be reevaluated seven days prior. In Louisiana, there are 132 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and two people have died.
“More aggressive steps are necessary to fight the spread of COVID-19 across Louisiana. Following additional guidance from the CDC, gatherings of more than 50 people are no longer permitted, bars and casinos must close and restaurants will only be able to offer take out or delivery,” Gov. Edwards said. “These limitations were difficult to make, but they are necessary to slow the spread of COVID-19, protect the health of Louisianans and flatten the curve.”
“What we’re learning is that it can take two weeks for symptoms to appear. We believe we are still unearthing community spread that’s been around for the past several weeks, which means it is a statewide problem that requires statewide solutions,” Gov. Edwards said. “In addition to meeting with Sen. Bill Cassidy this morning who is supportive of our efforts, I was also on a call with President Trump and Vice President Pence that lasted more than an hour and they were very clear that we must significantly expand our mitigation efforts to slow the progress of COVID-19 before there is more community spread. Action must be taken now, even in areas where there are no confirmed cases yet.”
The Governor will update his public health emergency proclamation to include the following:
Gatherings are limited to no more than 50 people.
Casinos and bars will be closed.
Restaurants will be closed to patrons eating on site. Take-out, drive-through and delivery orders are allowed.
Movie theaters will be closed.
LOUISIANA STATE LEGISLATURE TO TEMPORARILY ADJOURN DUE TO COVID-19
After meeting with medical professionals, fellow legislators, and other state officials Senate President Page Cortez and Speaker of the House of Representatives Clay Schexnayder have decided to temporarily adjourn the 2020 Regular Legislative Session until March 31, 2020. Medical professionals anticipate that rapid growth may put a strain on health care access and facilities. That rapid growth is best curbed by social distancing. With that in mind, the decision to temporarily adjourn was made.
“The public health crisis at hand has placed the legislature in unchartered waters,” said President Cortez. “With every decision we make, we are balancing the health and welfare of our citizens, staff, and legislators with our constitutional responsibilities. At this time, we believe it is in the best interest of our state to temporarily adjourn the session.”
Legislators have been directed by Senate and House leadership to contact those stakeholders and citizens who have requested bills to update them on the status of the session. All involved are encouraged to work together via telephone and e-mail to finalize potential issues with legislation so that those issues can be addressed when the legislature convenes again.
“While the matters being considered at the legislative session are important, nothing is more important than the safety and welfare of each and every Louisiana citizen,” added Speaker Schexnayder. “The President and I have been in constant communication about what is best for the state and at this point, the best course of action is to adjourn temporarily and come back ready to work when the risk has diminished.”
The President and the Speaker continue to encourage everyone to take the proactive steps recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to protect the health of themselves and those around them and remind constituents that social distancing and immediate testing for symptomatic individuals are the best tools to slow down the spread of the virus.
Legislative leadership will continue to diligently monitor the spread of COVID-19 and its impact on the state. The President and the Speaker will be in constant communication regarding future decisions concerning the legislative session.
For more information, please contact the Senate Office of Communication or the House Communications Office. Reliable Sources of Public Information on COVID-19 include:
Louisiana State Senate/Louisiana State House of Representatives:
http://senate.la.gov/covid-19/
https://house.louisiana.gov/H_Misc/COVID19
United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/index.html
Louisiana Department of Health: http://ldh.la.gov/coronavirus/
LDH coronavirus hotline: 1-855-523-2652 (8:00 AM to 4:30 PM Monday through Friday)
Governor’s Office Coronavirus information page: https://gov.louisiana.gov/index.cfm/page/89
La. Department of Education page featuring COVID-19 guidance for schools: https://www.louisianabelieves.com/resources/covid-19
Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness: www.GOHSEP.la.gov
Department of Health launches interactive dashboard
for tracking COVID-19 in Louisiana
Baton Rouge, La. (March 15, 2020) — The Louisiana Department of Health has launched a new interactive dashboard for tracking COVID-19 testing results in Louisiana. This new dashboard includes a heat map of the state along with a breakdown of positive cases by parish.
Yesterday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention noted that lab tests have proven to be reliable and CDC confirmation of positive lab results is no longer needed. To reflect this change, the Department has removed CDC confirmed cases from the dashboard and now results are considered positive instead of presumptive positive. Additionally, the dashboard also includes positive results from commercial labs.
"Our commitment is to share as much information with the public as possible and we hope this dashboard is a useful tool," said Stephen Russo, interim secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health. "While this virus has not reached every parish of our state, we believe that it will. It is important that we all take the necessary precautions to prevent the spread of this illness. The public is warned to practice social distancing, stay home if you are sick and be sure to wash your hands."
View the dashboard at www.ldh.la.gov/coronavirus.
Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) offices throughout the state will be closed to the public indefinitely beginning Tuesday, March 17.
To alleviate any additional public burden, LDWF is providing the public alternatives to process applications via mail, email and online.
The summary below provides more information about how to secure licenses and registrations during the office closure.
Commercial Licenses
New applications will be accepted by:
Mail - payment methods accepted will be check, cashier’s check and money order
Email - may be sent with all required documents scanned and attached
Required documents: Applications, Copy of Driver’s license (individuals), copy of Federal Tax ID paperwork (businesses)
For additional requirements for each license refer to LDWF website (wlf.louisiana.gov)
Licensing staff will reach out by phone to collect payment by credit card
Renewals
Mail - payment methods accepted will be check, cashier’s check and money order
Online at https://la-web.s3licensing.com/.
Mail to:
Commercial Licensing
PO Box 98000
Baton Rouge, LA 70898
Email: Commercial@wlf.la.gov