The state may be seeing some of the lowest COVID numbers since the pandemic began but Governor Edwards says that doesn’t mean the mask mandate is going away any time soon.
Neighboring Mississippi and Texas have dropped their mandate and instead offered recommendations to mask when necessary. Edwards, speaking on his monthly talk radio program Ask the Governor, said just encouraging mask use results in people not wearing masks.
“If you tell people ok, we are going to remove the mask mandate but then you also say we strongly encourage you to keep wearing the mask, they don’t hear the second part,” said Edwards.
The number of new COVID cases has dropped by over 75 percent since mid-January. New daily deaths have also fallen to near average single digits this week after averaging over 50 in mid-January.
Edwards said the state vaccination campaign is going well and our ticket out of the pandemic but until most of the population is fully vaccinated the virus is still a major threat.
“When you hit the ball you have to run all the way through the base and we are not at first base yet. We have got to run all the way through, get people vaccinated as quickly as we can and slow the transmission,” said Edwards.
Over 900,000 Louisianans have received at least one dose of a vaccine and over half a million have completed their series.
Edwards is optimistic that at our current rate of vaccination we will see a fully packed Superdome and Tiger Stadium next fall.
“I think it is certainly possible. I am going to stop short of saying I fully expect it to happen but I am hopeful that it can,” said Edwards.
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