Gov. John Bel Edwards
Louisiana will remain in Phase Three of reopening amid the coronavirus pandemic for an additional 28 days, Gov. John Bel Edwards announced Thursday.
The new proclamation, which Edwards said he signed earlier Thursday, will expire on Friday, Nov. 6.
“There just isn’t a lot further to go in terms of loosening restrictions until we are fully back to normal,” Edwards said.
The announcement came one day before the current Phase Three order is set to expire. Louisiana entered Phase Three on Sept. 11 following a three-month stay in Phase Two, triggered by the state’s second surge of new cases and hospitalization over the summer.
The decision to extend Phase Three is not a surprise, given that Edwards has stated multiple times it’s unlikely the state can advance much further without a vaccine.
Edwards said the new order will look largely the same as the existing one, saying his decision was based on recommendations from the Louisiana Department of Health as well as Dr. Deborah Birx of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, who recently visited the state.
Under Phase Three, most businesses are able to operate at 75-percent capacity while some bars — but not all — are allowed to reopen at a more restrictive capacity if they’re in parishes that meet certain criteria.
According to the Phase Three proclamation, bars can have on-site consumption if they are located in a parish with 5-percent positivity rate or lower over the most recent two-week period and if the governing authority “opts in.”
Positivity rate is calculated by the number of positive tests divided by the total number of tests.
As of Thursday morning, around 40 parishes had the necessary positivity rate to qualify to reopen bars, with Edwards adding that 27 parishes had opted in.
When re-opened, bars can operate at an indoor capacity of 25 percent, or up to 50 people, for customers seated for tableside service. They may have no more than 50 customers outdoors, socially distanced, seated for tableside service.
Under Phase Three, on-site sale and consumption of alcohol will now last until 11 p.m. at restaurants, casinos, and bars in parishes that are eligible to opt in to reopen bars.
All bars must still close by 11 p.m.
Edwards said “the major modification” in the new order will be one he’s already announced — the allowing of alcohol sales at sporting events in parishes that meet the gating criteria for on-site consumption.
The governor also said the State Fire Marshal’s Office will soon issue guidance that will allow fairs and festivals to submit a plan for approval. However, he added that fairs and festivals will likely be limited to 500 people.
“Otherwise, Phase Three will remain the same through November 6,” Edwards said.
The governor also fired back at a group of Republican legislators who are trying to limit his ability to issue emergency orders and lift all coronavirus restrictions.
“Quite frankly they don’t want any restrictions or mitigation measures in place, so there’s no communication you can have with them that’s gonna be satisfied,” he said. “But at the end of the day, we’re doing what’s right and what’s warranted under the circumstances to protect the public health of Louisiana.”
Edwards said data regarding positivity rates, new cases, and hospitalizations “continues to be encouraging,” though he pointed to a recent uptick in positivity rate and hospitalizations. The state positivity rate has gone up from 4.4 percent to 4.7 percent over the last 7-10 days, and COVID-19 hospital admissions have risen by 46 in the last four days.
But Edwards said the increase is “not.. drastic” and thanked the public for adhering to mitigation measures to slow the spread.
As of Thursday, the state is reporting 170,621 cases; 5,416 deaths; 2,437,687 tests; 2,528 “probable” cases; and 193 “probable” deaths. The state is also reporting 564 COVID-19 hospitalizations and 79 patients on mechanical ventilators.
“The state has improved over what was the case several weeks ago, and I am very mindful and appreciative of the fact that it’s because of the work being done by the people of Louisiana,” he said.
“The progress that we have made is because of the restrictions,” he continued. “It’s human nature to think every time we’re doing better that we ought to shed the restrictions, but you can’t because there’s not further to go until a vaccine is widely available and administered. So we need to stay the course.”
Edwards released his updated order shortly after his press conference ended, and some of the Phase Three regulations included:
-- Businesses and houses of worship can operate at 75 percent capacity, though social distancing is still required
-- Outdoor crowd sizes are limited to 50 percent of the outdoor space or up to 250 people if people can’t practice social distancing
-- Casinos will stay at 50-percent capacity and 75 percent of gaming positions
-- Indoor gatherings such as weddings and birthday parties are limited to 50-percent capacity or up to 250 people
-- Indoor live music is not allowed
-- Alcohol sales for on-premises consumption at venues such as restaurants, bars, event centers, reception halls, sporting events, and casinos will end at 11 p.m.
-- Sporting events, such as college and high school football, will operate at 25 percent capacity with social distancing required.
-- Statewide mask mandate for people 8 years and older
