Gov. John Bel Edwards extended the modified Phase 2 order during a press conference held Tuesday. This extension will keep COVID mitigation measures in place for another 28 days, through Feb. 10. The Governor’s statewide mask mandate also stays in place.
The current Phase 2 emergency proclamation in Louisiana was set to expire on Wednesday, Jan. 13.
Gov. Edwards also strongly recommended that all businesses in Louisiana move to remote work for as many employees as possible, as COVID cases and hospitalizations surge in Louisiana.
“What we are seeing is a huge spike in COVID cases and hospitalizations across the state, putting us in a dangerous position where we are seeing major stress on our health care systems. These continued mitigation measures are completely necessary, but they only work if people follow them. Informal social gatherings are the biggest culprit right now and people need to understand that you should not be spending time with those outside of your household unless it is absolutely necessary,” Gov. Edwards said. “We also strongly recommend that any employer who can should have their employees work from home whenever possible. We are very fortunate to live in a time when we have the technology to do many things from the safety of our own home that wouldn’t have been possible just a few years ago. Let’s take advantage of that technology in order to slow the spread.”
Louisiana is ranked 21 in the country for average daily cases. As of Tuesday, Jan. 12, Louisiana reported 4,673 new cases with 53 deaths.
The current count of patients in hospitals across the state is at 2,035 patients, which is up 53 from Monday.
