Gov. John Bel Edwards ‘considering’ mask mandate as Louisiana hospitals fill with COVID-19 patients

Louisiana has more people entering hospitals with COVID-19 symptoms than ever before, the most single-day deaths since March 10 and the highest number of new cases per capita in the nation as of Friday. Despite the grim numbers, Gov. John Bel Edwards has still not reinstated mitigation measures such as a face mask mandate and other public restrictions, but he said he is seriously considering them.

In a Friday afternoon news conference, Edwards admitted he’s feeling pressure to take such actions, saying he received “numerous requests over the last 24 hours” from the healthcare sector and other entities to reinstate the statewide mask mandate that he put in place last summer until lifting it and other mitigation measures in April. 

The governor said he plans to consult with more healthcare professionals and hospitals before enacting such orders, hinting that some form of emergency restriction could come as early as Monday.

“I anticipate we will be having a press conference on Monday,” he said.

State Health Officer Dr. Joe Kanter said, “45 hospitals reached out to us this morning asking for help” with staffing to handle the influx of COVID-19 patients.

The governor said the highly-contagious Delta variant of COVID-19 coupled with the low number of fully-vaccinated people are the main factors driving the surge in Louisiana.

“It is not an over-exaggeration to say, ‘it is as bad now as it has been at any point in the pandemic,'” Kanter said. “What’s scarier than that is that the trajectory has not yet shown any signs of slowing.”

Vaccinated people are just as likely to transmit the Delta variant as people that are unvaccinated, Kanter said.

Louisiana is seeing an increased vaccination rate of more than 10,000 shots a day, Edwards said. “And all those people changed their minds”… and it’s okay to change your mind, Kanter said.