Governor John Bel Edwards is ‘grateful’ for a Lafayette Federal judge upholding his order to close on-site consumption at Louisiana bars in the effort to fight the spread of COVID-19.
In July, numerous bar owners across the state asked a federal judge to grant a temporary restraining order blocking the governor’s executive orders, which closed bars.
“I’m grateful for today’s ruling which supports that my order was the right thing to do for the safety and health of our citizens as we work to slow the spread of this current health crisis,” said Governor Edwards said in a statement released Friday. “To date, more than 140,000 of our people have contracted the coronavirus and sadly, more than 4,500 people have died as a result of it. This is now the fourth ruling that underscores the importance of the implementation of my COVID-19 orders. From the beginning of this pandemic, I have relied on the public health experts and data to drive all of my decisions.”
Related: Bar owners across state sue Governor over COVID regulations
He says the COVID-19 data showed a significant number of outbreaks across the state came from bar rooms, resulting in a surge of coronavirus cases in June and July.
The ruling was handed down by U.S. Western District of Louisiana Judge Robert Summerhays. You can read the full ruling here.