Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards announced Monday afternoon that more stringent measures must be taken to slow the spread of COVID-19 coronavirus.
Today, I am taking additional measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19 by further limiting gatherings to fewer than 50 people, closing casinos, bars & movie theaters and limiting restaurants to delivery and drive-through orders only. #lagov #lalege--: https://t.co/0urWHBFoJu pic.twitter.com/nW3WkODZoB
— John Bel Edwards (@LouisianaGov) March 16, 2020
The governor's order takes effect at midnight:
- 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.
“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.”
The governor says that action must be taken now, even in areas where there are no confirmed cases yet.
“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.”
