The Jefferson Parish Council met with Governor John Bel Edwards to suggest the possibility of allowing regional parishes to move into Phase 3 if they meet COVID-19 criteria, instead of holding back those parishes because other parish regions are still struggling to slow the spread of the virus.
Councilmembers believe Jefferson Parish is ready to move into the next phase and say the governor heard their concerns and said he would “take it under consideration”.
“Now does that mean he is going to open up regionally? I don’t know and he didn’t give us any indication in which way he was going to decide today or tomorrow when he makes that decision, but he heard us and that is all we asked for,” Jefferson Parish Councilman Scott Walker explained to WWL First News.
“I’d like to commend my colleagues and the Governor of our great State for coming together as our Council was able to advocate for the critical need of economic revival in Jefferson. Our businesses are currently met with an unprecedented challenge that will take unprecedented leadership.” Said Council Chairman Ricky J. Templet in a statement.
Many businesses in the parish are struggling to stay open during the Phase Two coronavirus restrictions.
Despite cries from the parish’s business community to move the parish into the next phase, Jefferson Parish Councilman Scott Walker tells WWL First News, “We can’t do that as a parish. We can’t go above what the governor says.”
He adds, “We can do more and enact more restrictions than what Phase Two does right now, but we can’t say ok we are going to Phase Three and we don’t care what the governor says.”
The governor’s two-week phase 2 extension ends Friday. On Wednesday Edwards meets with the White House Coronavirus Taskforce to discuss the states options.
