BATON ROUGE, La. - Gov. John Bel Edwards announced during a news conference Thursday, Oct. 8 he has signed an executive order that will keep Louisiana in Phase 3 of the White House’s guidelines for reopening the economy until Nov. 6.
The governor’s previous Phase 3 order was set to expire Friday, Oct. 9.
Gov. Edwards said he has modified the new Phase 3 order to allow for alcohol sales at sporting events in parishes that have had at least two consecutive weeks of a COVID-19 positivity rate at or below 5% and have opted-in for bars to reopen.
“I’m announcing that Louisiana will stay in Phase 3 until at least November 6, as we continue to implement the mitigation measures developed for the state by the White House Coronavirus Task Force and supported by health experts that are having a positive impact on our battle against this public health emergency,” Gov. Edwards said. "All of the data shows improvement in Louisiana’s COVID situation because of the strong mitigation measures we have in place and because of the hard work of the people of Louisiana. These measures, which are supported by science, are allowing us to keep our case count and hospitalizations down, even as most of Louisiana’s businesses have expanded their operations and more people are moving about.
“We know that as schools return to in person learning, restaurants and bars open even more widely and more events begin, there is more risk to spreading COVID. I also remain incredibly concerned about how Hurricane Delta will impact our ability to operate community testing and also displace people in ways that may lead to spread.”
The governor also said his administration is working with the Louisiana Office of State Fire Marshal and Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) on guidance for small fairs and festivals to open up this fall.
He said outdoor fairs and festivals will soon be able to submit their plans to the state fire marshal for approval.
Fairs and festivals with more than 500 people will not be allowed.
Visit website to read the updated Phase 3 order.
Visit website to read to read the extension of emergency provisions that is also extended 28 days.