Schools, non-essential businesses and restaurants will remain closed to dine-in services for all of April as Governor John Bel Edwards announces he will extend his stay at home order through April 30th.
“We still have an awful lot of work to do to flatten the curve and I think it creates a realistic expectation in the public about the time horizon that we are on,” said Edwards.
Louisiana has 4,025 positive cases and has reported 185 deaths from the coronavirus.
Locally, Louisiana remains number three in total cases and number two in total deaths per capita.
Governor Edwards warns the state’s trajectory of cases still puts them on track to run out of ventilators in the New Orleans area by April 5th. He says the state will ultimately need 14,000 more ventilators.
“On my call with the President today in that video teleconference he acknowledged our need for ventilators and made a commitment that they will send ventilators to Louisiana,” said Edwards.
Following the governor’s 3 PM update, he announced the state received 100 ventilators from vendors on Monday and President Donald Trump has committed to sending 150 more ventilators to Louisiana. Currently, 385 patients require ventilation.
Edwards reiterated his calls for social distancing, but one church in Central in East Baton Rouge Parish refuses to comply having hosted over a thousand people on Sunday. Edwards says he won’t be breaking up those services.
“I have not put pressure on any officials to enforce that in any particular situation whether it is in Baton Rouge or elsewhere, but I do implore those folks to comply,” says Edwards.
Reportedly residents from five different parishes were bused in for Sunday service at Life Tabernacle Pentecostal Church in Central.
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