Health
Forty-two percent of Louisiana inmates tested have been positive for COVID-19
Since the beginning of April, Louisiana has tested about 10 percent of the state inmates that reside in the state prison system for COVID-19, and over 40 percent of the prisoners tested have been positive for the virus, according to data provided by the state Department of Corrections Thursday. Since the beginning of the pandemic, […]
Gov. John Bel Edwards: Louisiana Bars must close and face masks must be worn
Baton Rouge — On one of the worst days in Louisiana’s fight with the coronavirus, Gov. John Bel Edwards held a press conference Saturday to announce an order shutting down all bars and mandating citizens to wear face coverings. The new restrictions will take effect at 12:01 Monday morning. Edwards, a Democrat, had previously declined to […]
Vice President Mike Pence to visit Baton Rouge Tuesday to discuss Louisiana’s COVID-19 response
Louisiana, especially the Baton Rouge area, has seen a disturbing spike in COVID-19 cases, which has caused the federal government to make the capital city one of three cities nationwide where it’s adding 5,000 COVID-19 tests a day. Vice President Mike Pence, who leads the federal government’s coronavirus task force, will travel to Baton Rouge […]
Two huge COVID-19 surges make Louisiana an outlier in the U.S.
In April, the United States COVID-19 outbreak greatly affected a handful of states including New York, New Jersey, Michigan, Massachusetts and Louisiana. Now in July, the United States COVID-19 outbreak is affecting a different group of states including Arizona, Florida, South Carolina and Texas. But it’s also affecting Louisiana – again. Most states with COVID-19 surges […]
Shreveport City Councilman flips positions on smoking ban
After the Shreveport City Council passed a comprehensive smoking ban scheduled to take effect in August, a councilman who previously supported the law now wants to exempt casinos for a year. A health advocate called his reversal a “slap in the face” to casino workers. The City Council first proposed a smoking ban around Memorial […]
Louisiana’s largest healthcare provider scales back community COVID-19 testing
Ochsner Health, Louisiana’s largest healthcare provider, will put new limitations on its community testing program for COVID-19 even as state health officials warn about a surge in new infections. The hospital system needs to preserve its testing capacity for hospital patients, said Dr. Sandra Kemmerly, the system medical director of hospital quality, in an interview […]
Louisiana sees largest daily spike in coronavirus cases since April
Louisiana reported its largest daily increase in COVID-19 cases in three months Wednesday (July 1), with more than 2,000 tests for coronavirus coming back positive. “This disease is coming back, and it’s coming back with a vengeance, and we better start getting serious,” said Jimmy Guidry, the state health officer. Not all of the cases […]
Will Louisiana require you to wear a face mask?
Following a steady rise in coronavirus cases, a new mandate requiring residents to wear face masks in public takes effect Wednesday in Jefferson Parish. Although positive tests for COVID-19 have been found in all 64 parishes, a statewide face mask mandate does not appear to be immediately forthcoming. Jefferson Parish President Cynthia Lee Sheng issued […]
Louisiana officials criticize Supreme Court’s rejection of state’s abortion restriction
WASHINGTON — Louisiana officials decried a U.S. Supreme Court ruling Monday that struck down a state abortion law and vowed to keep fighting to restrict access to the procedure. At the same time, advocates for reproductive rights breathed a sigh of relief that abortion access won’t be further restricted in a state where only three […]
Roberts joins Supreme Court’s four liberal judges in striking down Louisiana abortion law
WASHINGTON — In a major victory for reproductive rights, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a controversial Louisiana law that critics said would have severely limited access to abortion in Louisiana and opened the door to further abortion limitations around the country. Enacted in 2014 by the Louisiana state Legislature, the law would have required physicians […]
Worrisome spike in Louisiana COVID-19 cases means two more weeks in Phase 2
Gov. John Bel Edwards said Monday afternoon that COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are increasing across Louisiana and that because of that worrisome data he is postponing the state’s scheduled transition to Phase 3 of his re-opening plan. Edwards said he will likely sign the order Thursday and that when he does, Louisiana will remain in […]