COVID-19: Louisiana Reopens

Gov. John Bel Edwards filed a memorandum in the lawsuit regarding COVID-19 protections for the November presidential election asking the judge to direct Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin to implement the same election plan that was used for the recent elections in July and August. That plan, which was crafted by the Secretary of State and supported by the Governor and a majority of the Louisiana Legislature, offered expanded absentee voting by mail for more Louisianans affected by COVID for the upcoming elections in November and December.

Gov. John Bel Edwards signed an order today that extends Phase Two and the statewide mask mandate, closure of bars to on-site consumption and gathering size limits in Louisiana for another two weeks, until September 11, 2020.

Gov. John Bel Edwards issued the following statement on the ruling by Judge Robert Summerhays of the U.S. Western District of Louisiana upholding his order closing on-site consumption at bars as Louisiana fights COVID-19.

John Bel Edwards signed an executive order declaring that an emergency exists for Louisiana’s November election because of COVID-19, while also acknowledging that the current emergency election plan from the Secretary of State does not go far enough to protect public health.

John Bel Edwards released the following statement in response to Judge Martin L.C. Feldman in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, who upheld restrictions on bars in the state as part of its efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19 in Louisiana.

Gov. John Bel Edwards released a new COVID-19 PSA featuring Louisiana musician Jon Batiste, who serves as the bandleader on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on CBS, encouraging everyone to wear a mask to help slow the spread of COVID-19.

Edwards announced that a state court has issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) against Firehouse BBQ restaurant in Denham Springs, Louisiana for its excessive non-compliance of his Phase 2 mitigation measures aimed at slowing the spread of COVID-19 throughout Louisiana. The TRO prohibits the restaurant from operating in violation of an emergency order suspending their permit for violations of the Governor’s mask mandate.

Gov. John Bel Edwards sent a letter to President Donald J. Trump requesting that the extension of the Title 32 authorization for the Louisiana National Guard (LANG) be reconsidered to cover 100 percent fundingthrough December 31, 2020. There are 1,100 members of LANG who have been instrumental in helping the state respond to the COVID-19 public health emergency.

Gov. John Bel Edwards signed an extension of his order keeping Louisiana in Phase Two and extending his statewide mask mandate, the closure of bars to on-premises consumption and the limitation on gatherings of more than 50 people for at least another 21 days, through Friday, August 28.

Gov. John Bel Edwards released the following statement in response to Judge Janice Clark’s ruling in the 19th Judicial District to uphold the mask mandate, bar restrictions and limits on gatherings to no more than 50 that he implemented on July 11 in response to the impact of COVID-19 statewide.

Gov. John Bel Edwards announced a mandatory mask requirement for Louisiana and ordered bars in the state closed to on-premises consumption, as the state experiences increasing spread of COVID-19. The Governor also limited indoor social gatherings like wedding receptions, class reunions and parties to 50 total people. With these additional restrictions, Louisiana remains in Phase Two of the Roadmap for a Resilient Louisiana.

The current order expires on Friday, August 7. Gov. Edwards will sign a new order before the end of the week that extends this order through Friday, August 28.

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Gov. John Bel Edwards has sent a letter to Louisiana’s Congressional Delegation asking them to consider funding the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund in the current proposal for COVID-19 relief legislation as the last unemployment payment becomes a reality for workers impacted by the pandemic.

The new order, which will be issued later this week, will run through August 7. The Governor added the mask mandate and other restrictions to an order that went into effect July 13.

Phase 2 was set to expire Friday. It will be extended for another two weeks, which will run until August 7.

Due to overwhelming response, phase one of the Louisiana Emergency Rental Assistance Program (LERAP) application process has been temporarily suspended, but you can continue to sign up for notification of the opening of future phases.

Gov. John Bel Edwards responded via letter to Attorney General Jeff Landry’s letter about the Governor’s recent proclamation mandating face masks and taking other measures recommended by public health experts to protect Louisiana from the spread of COVID-19, which has killed 3,375 Louisianans and infected more than 86,000 people.

Gov. John Bel Edwards issued the following statement on the Attorney General’s opinion on his proclamation to protect the people of Louisiana from the spread of COVID-19, which has tragically killed 3,351 Louisianans and infected a total of 84,131.

Louisiana surpassed one million COVID-19 tests of its residents as part of an aggressive push to use testing and contract tracing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus, alongside reasonable regulations like mandating mask wearing for people age 8 and older when they are in public.

Starting at 12:01 a.m. Monday, there will be three new restrictions across Louisiana to help prevent the spread of coronavirus.

How likely are you to come into contact with someone who has COVID-19 if you attend a party or an event in Louisiana?

Vice President Mike Pence on Tuesday traveled to Louisiana, a state struggling to get a grip on spiking infections and hospitalizations, and urged the reopening of K-12 schools and colleges for in-person instruction.

Gov. John Bel Edwards and New Orleans Pelican superstar Zion Williamson jointly released a new PSA encouraging Louisianans to wear a mask or face covering when out in public as the state continues to see the number of new COVID-19 cases rise.

Gov. John Bel Edwards released a new COVID-19 PSA featuring Louisiana singer, songwriter and musician Amanda Shaw encouraging everyone to slow the spread of the coronavirus as the number of cases and hospitalizations continue to increase.

Gov. John Bel Edwards formally extended Phase Two of reopening in Louisiana for another 28 days, as new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations increase across the state. The new order leaves in place occupancy and other restrictions of the previous Phase Two order and adds a crowd size limit of 250 to indoor gatherings.

Gov. John Bel Edwards announced that Louisiana will stay in Phase Two of reopening, as the number of COVID-19 cases and related hospitalizations have started to rise in several regions across the state.

The move will keep the current level of restrictions in place until at least July 24.

The Louisiana Department of Health can confirm an outbreak connected to multiple Tigerland bars in Baton Rouge, La. The Department has received at least 100 reports of patrons and staff testing positive for COVID-19.

Gov. John Bel Edwards announced that following continued improvement in Louisiana’s COVID-19 outlook and a significant increase in testing capacity and contact tracing, Louisiana is ready to move to Phase 2 of the White House’s reopening strategy on June 5.

Louisiana is loosening its restrictions aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus, allowing bars to reopen and expanding the occupancy requirements to 50% for a host of businesses.

Governor John Bel Edwards announced Monday, June 1 that Louisiana will move into Phase 2 of the White House’s reopening guidelines Friday, June 5. The governor’s executive order for Phase 1 reopening is set to expire the same day.

In response to the COVID-19 public health emergency, businesses were required to close or restrict activity to preserve and protect the health and safety of the citizens of Louisiana. Because of the success of these efforts, Louisiana is now ready to move forward with opening businesses in a safe, phased-in approach.

Business owners should review the updated Phase Two order, as this is the best way to determine if they can open, and refer to guidance from the State Fire Marshal (SFM) and the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) shared on OpenSafely.la.gov. No business is required to register at this site to reopen. Below is an overview of which businesses can be open.