Governor John Bel Edwards struck a somber tone as the state reported crossing the 1,000 COVID-19 death mark. A single-day record 129 COVID deaths were logged Tuesday bringing the death toll to 1,013.
“Every one of these numbers is a person, it’s one of our neighbors, it’s one of our friends, it’s somebody’s parent it’s somebody’s child, and I don’t want that to be lost on anyone,” said Edwards.
But with the rate of new cases declining, Edwards is looking forward to the loosening of some restrictions that are part of the state’s current stay at home order that lasts through April 30th. He says one of the first things is making more medical services available.
“We have got things that are non-emergency like if someone needs a knee replacement, and you can only put those off for so long,” said Edwards.
Many “non-essential” medical facilities were shuttered to conserve PPE and needed medical equipment, and to free up healthcare workers for a potential surge in cases.
Edwards says even if some services reopen this spring, schools will not be one of them so the state has to make an effort to expand access to distance learning.
“What we don’t want to happen is our children to sit out of an educational setting that they actually regress more than they should,” said Edwards.
The governor plans to release more details on Wednesday afternoon on how the state plans to handle the rest of the school year. Acting State Superintendent of Education Beth Scioneaux will join Edwards for his daily COVID-19 briefing.
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