Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards announced he will allow the statewide indoor mask mandate to expire tomorrow. The mandate was reinstated on August 4th as the Delta surge began to boom in the state, and renewed last month.
The mandate is still in effect for some K-12 schools, but only those that have not adopted a new quarantine policy that allows students to not have to quarantine should they have a close COVID contact. Schools that chose not to adopt the new, relaxed quarantine policies will be allowed to choose whether they maintain their mask mandate. Orleans Parish and Jefferson Parish schools are eligible to unmask under the new rules. Orleans put out a statement saying they would be keeping the masks on, while Jefferson responded saying the masks will stay on, for now, while they review the policy.
The mandate still applies in healthcare settings, and mass transit as well.
Edwards said he made the decision after the state experienced a prolonged decline in new COVID cases and hospitalizations over the last month. Hospitalizations are now at their lowest level since the 4th of July. 323 people remain hospitalized with the diseases, down from a peak over 3,000 in mid-August.
Related
A New Orleans Mayoral spokesperson earlier today announced the city would not necessarily be following in lockstep with the Governor’s order. Because of that, it is likely New Orleans will maintain its own mandate, at least for some time longer.