User:Doctor Gina/COVID-19 pandemic in louisiana

Governor Edwards announced that schools would close until April 13. Governor Edwards also signed an executive order on March 13 postponing all Louisiana elections in the months of April and May, including the Louisiana Democratic primary, until June and July, respectively. The presidential primaries are expected to be held on June 20, 2020.

Mayor of New Orleans LaToya Cantrell announced the closure of New Orleans' traffic and magistrate courts on March 15, beginning immediately and lasting for 30 days. The mayor also announced the closure of New Orleans Public Libraries beginning on March 16. Also on March 15, Mayor Cantrell issued guidance surrounding bars and restaurants, directing full-service restaurants to close at 9:00 p.m. and restaurants to only seat 50 percent of their capacity to partake in physical distancing. In addition, quick-service or fast-casual restaurants can only partake in drive-thru service, but can extend their operating hours to 24 hours if needed. Bars and nightclubs are also required to serve up to 50 percent of their capacity, announce last call at 11:15 p.m., and be closed and vacated by midnight every night.

Locally, Slidell Mayor Greg Cromer made a statement on March 14, re-stating the closure of public schools and the state of emergency that Governor Edwards announced previously. Mayor Cromer also announced the closing of the Slidell Cultural Center, the cancellation of the City of Slidell's Arts Evening cultural festival, and the rescheduling of the Bayou Jam Concert Series in Heritage Park. He reaffirmed that the Slidell Museum and Slidell Mardi Gras Museums would remain open.

On March 16, Governor Edwards issued a state-wide executive order prohibiting public gatherings of more than 50 people, and ordering the closure of bars, bowling alleys, casino gaming (including casinos and video poker), fitness facilities, and movie theaters from March 17 through April 13. Restaurants were also restricted to takeout and delivery service only.

On March 22, Governor Edwards announced a statewide stay-at-home order effective until April 12 in a press conference. On March 31 the order was extended to at least April 30.

On March 26, Mayor Cantrell criticized the Trump administration's early response to the pandemic, admitting that she would have canceled Mardi Gras festivities in New Orleans had she been provided with more sufficient information from federal authorities on potential risks. She explained that "we were not given a warning or even told, 'Look, you know what? Don't have Mardi Gras'", and that "if the federal government is not responding to or saying that we're potentially on the verge of having a crisis for the pandemic coming to the U.S. — that would change everything. But that wasn’t happening."

Governor Edwards partnered with the Louisiana Department of Health on May 8 to develop a plan to hire 700 Louisiana residents as contact tracers, who interview and advise those who've tested positive for COVID-19 to ascertain who else in their lives may be at risk for contracting the virus. LDH Secretary, Dr. Courtney Phillips, acknowledged that this measure will only work if the people who are contacted by the tracers actually self-isolate.

On July 11, 2020, Governor Edwards announced that masks would be required for most people and that bars had to close.

In Baton Rouge, Mayor Sharon Weston Broome announced the #GeauxGetTested Initiative on July 6 (to run July 7-July 18). Intended to provide up to 5000 free tests daily across East Baton Rouge Parish, 5 sites were established to operate 7 days per week. Despite the extended capacity, the test centers were unable to meet their target number of tests daily. By July 28, it was announced that East Baton Rouge Parish had surpassed Orleans Parish for the largest number of COVID-19 cases in the state, though fewer deaths. In response, Mayor Broome extended a mandatory mask mandate that had been issued on July 3.