Governor John Bel Edwards urges all Louisiana residents to continue to follow the state’s COVID-19 mitigation measures during the holiday season.
“Healthcare workers in hospitals across Louisiana are extremely worried about their staffing and capacity levels not being able to keep up with the growing number of citizens being diagnosed with COVID-19 and being hospitalized. They need us all to do our part to slow the spread,” said Gov. Edwards.
“This third surge we are experiencing is worse than the others, and it is so concerning that the Centers for Disease Control has asked that all holiday travel plans be canceled. This year’s holiday celebrations should not look like those from last year.
“The risk is too great. I know that we want to be together for the holidays, but we need to protect each other and make the sacrifices now so that we can come together when it is much safer,” Edwards added.
The governor sent out a video of him warning of the dangers if the state’s covid restrictions are not followed during the holidays.
He also urged everyone not to celebrate the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays with large gatherings and to socially distance and wear a mask.
Governor Edwards sent an open letter to local media outlets, which reads in part;
The holiday season is among us, but unfortunately, so is COVID-19.I know that it’s hard to imagine Thanksgiving or Christmas without all of the traditions we hold dear. I come from a big family. Some of my most treasured memories were spent around the dinner table passing around turkey and pie. But it’s the people around that table I treasure most of all, and that is why this holiday season is going to look different for my family.
Even if we have never met, your family means a lot to me as well. I have seen too many of our fellow Louisianans lose their lives because of this terrible disease. COVID is surging across the country to a degree that dwarfs the spring and summer surges. Test positivity, cases, hospitalizations, and deaths are all increasing at alarming rates, both nationally and here in Louisiana…
To read Governor John Bel Edwards' full letter click here.
