LUY-Development

Category: COVID-19

  • Louisiana “Stay at Home” Order issued By Gov. Edwards

    Louisiana “Stay at Home” Order issued By Gov. Edwards

    Today, Gov. John Bel Edwards issued a statewide Stay at Home order that goes into effect at 5 p.m. Monday, March 23, to further fight the spread of COVID-19 in Louisiana, as the number of confirmed cases have topped 800 and spread to more than half of our parishes.

    • Click here to read the Governor’s statewide Stay at Home order.
    • Click here to see graphics.

    “In Louisiana we have taken aggressive measures to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and flatten the curve; however, this is not enough. As our number of cases continue to grow, I am directing all Louisianans to stay at home unless it is absolutely necessary for you to leave. I am implementing this measure to help prevent you from becoming infected or infecting someone else. People can leave their homes to do essential things like buying groceries or food, pick up medicine or go to work only if their job is essential. If you have to go out, make sure you practice social distancing measures and keep 6 feet between you and the people around you. People are encouraged to go outside and to stay active during this time, as long as they practice social distancing when they are around their neighbors,” Gov. Edwards said. “This order is not something I take lightly, but it is necessary to protect the health, safety and well-being of our people, our communities and our way of life.”

    The order is set to expire at the end of the night on Sunday, April 12. The Governor will re-evaluate the need for the statewide Stay at Home order and other mitigation measures currently in place to determine if they need to be extended beyond April 12.

    The Governor previously ordered all K-12 public schools, casinos, bars movie theatres, gyms and fitness centers closed and restricted restaurants to take-out, drive-through and delivery orders only. He has also moved the state’s April 4 elections and limited crowd size.

    For businesses, the new Stay at Home order has limits on the following:

    • All places of public amusement, whether indoors or outdoors, including but not limited to, locations with amusement rides, carnivals, amusement parks, water parks, trampoline parks, aquariums, zoos, museums, arcades, fairs, pool halls, children’s play centers, playgrounds, theme parks, any theaters, concert and music halls, adult entertainment venues, racetracks, and other similar businesses.
    • All personal care and grooming businesses, including but not limited to, barber shops, beauty salons, nail salons, spas, massage parlors, tattoo parlors, and other similar businesses.
    • All malls, except for stores in a mall that have a direct outdoor entrance and exit that provide essential services and products as provided by the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) guidelines.
    • Businesses closed to the public as listed in the order can conduct necessary activities such as payroll, cleaning services, maintenance or upkeep as necessary.
    • Any business not covered by the guidance from the CISA discussed in Section 3 of the order and not ordered to temporarily close must reduce operations to continue with minimum contact with members of the public and essential employees, while requiring proper social distancing, adhering to the 10-person limitation on gathering size.
    • Early learning centers and child care facilities adhering to the guidance issued by the Louisiana Department of Education and Office of Public Health may continue to operate.

    Examples of Essential Worker Functions under the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) guidelines include:

    • Healthcare workers and caregivers
    • Mental health and Social Service workers
    • Pharmacy employees
    • Workers supporting groceries, pharmacies and other retail sales of food and beverage products
    • Restaurant carryout and quick-serve food operations and food delivery employees
    • Farm workers
    • Electricity and Utility Industry Employees
    • Critical Manufacturing Employees (medical supply chains, energy, transportation, food, chemicals)
    • Petroleum, Natural and Propane Gas Workers
    • Transportation and Logistics Workers
    • Communications and Information Technology Employees
    • Financial Services and Banking Industry Employees

    See CISA essential business guidelines here.

    Members of the public will still be allowed to go to grocery stores and pharmacies to pick up food, medicine and necessary supplies, go to their essential jobs and to go outside for exercise and fresh air. When leaving their home, people should practice social distancing.

    OTHER ORDERS FROM THE GOVERNOR:

    Gov. Edwards has issued a number of orders designed to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in Louisiana and flatten the curve. They are:

    In addition, Gov. Edwards issued a proclamation on March 13 moving Louisiana’s elections, which can be found here.

     

  • March 22: New COVID-19 Coronavirus Infections in Franklin & Pike Counties

    March 22: New COVID-19 Coronavirus Infections in Franklin & Pike Counties

    Mississippi Has More Than 200 COVID-19 Coronavirus Cases

    Here is the latest information from the Mississippi Department Of Health, updated on Sunday March 22nd.

  • March 22: COVID-19 Coronavirus Cases Reported In 36 Louisiana Parishes

    March 22: COVID-19 Coronavirus Cases Reported In 36 Louisiana Parishes

    Rural Parishes Starting To Report COVID19 Coronavirus Infections

    Graphic courtesy of the Louisiana Department Of Health

    If you have questions about coronavirus, please contact the Louisiana 211 Network by dialing dial 211. Or, you can text the keyword LACOVID to 898-211 for the most current information about the outbreak as it becomes available.

     

  • Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards Thanks Healthcare Workers

    Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards Thanks Healthcare Workers

    Governor Edwards Posts Thank-You Letter And Video On Social Media

    The Governor published a sincere letter of appreciation to all healthcare workers on the frontlines of the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak in Louisiana:

    “My mother was a nurse and I learned many years ago that not all heroes wear capes…With all of my heart, and on behalf of the entire state, I want to thank you for your relentless efforts and your service to our brothers and sisters and most vulnerable Louisiana residents.”

    The Governor also made a video for social media, thanking healthcare workers for their efforts.

     

     

  • Pop Superstar Rihanna Donates $5 Million To COVID-19 Relief Efforts

    Pop Superstar Rihanna Donates $5 Million To COVID-19 Relief Efforts

    Rihanna Opens Her Wallet

    Rihanna‘s Clara Lionel Foundation is giving $5 million to the response efforts against the coronavirus.

    The money will support “on-the-ground partners working on the frontlines of disaster response especially those focused on protecting and serving marginalized communities — helping the most vulnerable in the United States, the Caribbean and in Africa prepare for what is to come,” the foundation said in a statement.

    The funding will be channeled through Direct Relief, Partners In Health, Feeding America, the International Rescue Committee, the World Health Organization’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund and others.

    “Never has it been more important or urgent to protect and prepare marginalized and underserved communities –those who will be hit hardest by this pandemic,” CLF’s executive director Justine Lucas said in the statement.

    The money will go to food banks, testing, healthcare worker training, virus prevention and distribution of critical respiratory supplies.

    FILE – In this Dec. 2, 2019, file photo, singer Rihanna poses for photographers upon arrival at the British Fashion Awards in central London. Rihanna will receive the President’s Award during the 51st NAACP Image Awards this month, the NAACP announced Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2020. (Photo by Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP, File)

    BESPOKE FACE MASKS COMING

    Hospitals and health care workers in New York without enough face masks to deal with the coronovirus are being promised help from someone more famous for his red carpet looks.

    Christian Siriano in a tweet vowed to make masks, asking his sewing team to pump them out to help medical responders. The tweet got Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s attention, who thanked the “Project Runway” star and got in touch with his team.

    Siriano later posted a photo of a mask in a plastic bag and captioned it: “Prototypes are happening — more updates by next week.”

    SECOND BROADWAY CASUALTY

    A revival of Edward Albee’s “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” will not reopen when Broadway resumes performances, a second play to call it quits as the theater world grapples with the fallout over the coronavirus.

    “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” starred Laurie Metcalf as Martha and Rupert Everett as George. It managed just nine previews before Broadway was shuttered on March 12. Producers early Saturday blamed “cast scheduling conflicts amid the shutdown” for abandoning the show.

    The move came a day after producers of Martin McDonagh’s dark comedy “Hangmen” said that show also will not reopen on Broadway.

    “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” and “Hangmen” were two of 16 shows that were scheduled to open this spring that were suspended when Broadway went dark.

  • Mississippi Department Of Public Health Planning Drive-Up Testing Sites

    Mississippi Department Of Public Health Planning Drive-Up Testing Sites

    Testing Site Locations To Be Announced Soon

    The Mississippi Department of Public Health posted this on their website:

    Next week MSDH will be setting up six drive-up testing sites across the state with assistance from the National Guard and the Mississippi Highway Patrol. The sites are aimed at those with COVID-19 symptoms such as fever of 100.4 or greater and severe cough or chest pain. We’ll be checking temperatures and getting samples to the state Public Health Lab for testing as part of a larger effort to get wide-scale COVID-19 testing under way for those who need it most.

    Mississippi Coronavirus Hotline (available 24/7): 877-978-6453

  • Vital but vulnerable, cleaners hold the line against a virus

    Vital but vulnerable, cleaners hold the line against a virus

    These largely unsung workers are often the first line of defense against the global COVID-19 pandemic

    NEW YORK (AP) — When hospitals need to prep a room for the next coronavirus test, when jetliners discharge their passengers at the gate, when suburbanites start to take sanitary precautions more seriously, the call goes out:

    Send in the cleaners.

    These largely unsung workers are often the first line of defense against the global COVID-19 pandemic, cleaning and disinfecting homes, offices, medical facilities and public spaces where the novel coronavirus could spread. But the people doing all this cleaning earn low wages, frequently lack sick leave and paid days off, and can be fired with no warning.

    Amid all that is the constant fear that they could encounter the virus themselves, despite what many say are diligent precautions.

    Shasmin Lewis, who spends her mornings doing office work for MaidPro in Philadelphia and her afternoons cleaning homes, says her hours have jumped almost 80% to 40 hours a week. She brings her own mask to work even though MaidPro provides both masks and gloves, washes her hands frequently and wears gloves even when dusting.

    “I’m very worried, but I plan on staying around until we can’t,” she said. Not only do her elderly customers need her help, she says, but like countless workers, she has enough savings to support her and two kids for about a month — even though she’s moving into management.

    For most people, the coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. The vast majority of people who contract the virus recover.

    Overall demand for cleaning has been heavy. Airlines, including Delta and Southwest, added disinfecting measures on flights. Amtrak increased the frequency of cleaning services at trains and stations, in some cases on an hourly basis, and is using more disinfectant to wipe down handrails, door knobs and handles.

    During the first two weeks of March, ads for cleaners were up 75% in the U.S. and 20% in the U.K. compared to a year ago, according to Ziprecruiter, an online job posting site.

    But that’s starting to change as cities across the U.S. and Europe enter lockdown and schools, hotels, restaurants and other businesses shut down.

    Last week, Zoraida Rodriguez was working overtime to keep the Bernard B. Jacobs theater clean for well-heeled Broadway enthusiasts. She and other custodial workers were called in early and stayed late to help with deep cleaning, disinfecting door knobs, stair rails and anything else theatergoers might touch.

    This week, Rodriguez is out of a job. Broadway theaters abruptly closed until at least April 12 and possibly beyond. At least 204 theaters and stadium service workers lost their jobs, according to the Service Employees International Union that represents them. There is no clear answer about whether they would get severance pay or any type of relief. Rodriguez was told to pick up her last paycheck this week.

    According to a study by the National Domestic Workers Alliance, 82 % of domestic workers don’t get paid sick days. Many are afraid if they do stay out sick they’ll get fired: about 25% of domestic workers fired from their jobs say it was due to their request to take time off, 22% were fired for actually taking time off, and 20% were discharged for missing work to take care of themselves or a family members.

    The mean annual wage for maids and housekeepers was $25,570 in 2018, according to the most recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. For janitors and building cleaners it is $26,100 per year. That’s close to the poverty line for a family of four.

    Technology is also encroaching on their jobs. Hong Kong’s subway operator is deploying 20 robots developed with a local biotech startup that spray vapourized hydrogen peroxide to “penetrate in the small gaps that are difficult to reach during normal cleaning work” on train cars or station facilities. The Westin Houston Medical Center is rolling out two ultraviolet “germ-zapping robots” to disinfect rooms, saying it’s the first and only U.S. hotel to do so.

  • Louisiana Expands Drive-Thru Testing For Coronavirus

    Louisiana Expands Drive-Thru Testing For Coronavirus

    Coronavirus cases have been reported in 35 of the state’s 64 parishes.

    BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Drive-thru testing for the coronavirus in the New Orleans area will be extended to a wider range of people as the number of infections and deaths in Louisiana continues to increase, state health officials said Saturday.

    Three such federally funded test sites are operating in the state, two in New Orleans and one that opened Saturday in nearby Jefferson Parish. Initially, the tests were accessible only to health care workers and first-responders showing symptoms consistent with the COVID-19 disease caused by the virus.

    Beginning Sunday, testing will be offered to anyone with a fever or other symptoms, the New Orleans Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness and the New Orleans Health Department said in a news release.

    Testing in New Orleans is taking place in the parking lots of the Mahalia Jackson Theater and the University of New Orleans Lakefront Arena, and in Jefferson Parish at the Alario Event Center. The New Orleans sites will be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. or until 100 people have been tested at each site, officials said. The Jefferson Parish site will operate from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., with a cap of 250 tests per day.

    Louisiana has one of the nation’s highest per capita rates of infection, Gov. John Bel Edwards has said, with New Orleans at the epicenter of the state’s outbreak.

    The number of known virus infections in Louisiana had jumped to more than 760 as of Saturday, and at least 20 people have died, according to health department figures. Coronavirus cases have been reported in 35 of the state’s 64 parishes.

     

  • Lazy Magnolia Brews Up Hand Sanitizer Instead Of Hard Seltzer

    Lazy Magnolia Brews Up Hand Sanitizer Instead Of Hard Seltzer

    “Keeps people working and gives the community something it needs”

    KILN, Miss. (AP) — Lazy Magnolia Brewing has been on the Mississippi Coast for 15 years.

    They’re known for their ales, but as cases of the new coronavirus began to rise in Mississippi, co-owner Leslie Henderson saw something distilleries across the country were doing to help their communities.

    The brewery had been looking at making flavored seltzers, thanks to the popularity of White Claw and other hard seltzers over the past year. But that project was put on hold.

    Instead, they decided to use those materials to make something the community needed during the COVID-19 pandemic — hand sanitizer.

    “We had a drum of denatured food-grade alcohol,” Henderson said. “We found a recipe from the World Health Organization to make an effective hand sanitizer.”

    The hand sanitizer is a liquid consistency that Henderson suggested be put into a spray bottle. They combined the alcohol and glycerin or aloe to keep the hands moisturized. They also use filtered rainwater from the roof that’s normally purified and sold as Richard’s Rainwater.

    The project was announced on the brewery’s Facebook page Monday afternoon (March 16). When Henderson arrived 45 minutes before the doors opened, people were already lined up.

    “I honestly thought I’d be making a couple gallons a day, and giving it to friends, family and some employees,” Henderson said.

    “It was completely unexpected. It recoups cost of materials, keeps people employed, and gives the community something it needs.”

    One of the people to reach out was the Bay St. Louis Police Department, which had been asking for donations. Henderson made sure that she hand-delivered some bottles.

    “That was the first thing I did,” she said. She also saved some bottles in reserve in case they needed more.

    In keeping with the Centers for Disease Control guidelines, the brewery allowed 10 people at a time inside. People lined up at the door, some with their own containers and others ready to purchase spray bottles or metal growlers usually used for beer.

    One by one, each person’s vessel of choice was filled with sanitizer running at 75 cents an ounce. Many community members came up to thank Henderson and her crew.

    By 1 p.m. Tuesday, the brewery ran out of hand sanitizer. Henderson estimated about 50 people had come through their doors to buy hand sanitizer since they opened.

    “The power of social media,” Henderson said.

    While the brewery doesn’t plan on making hand sanitizer for long, they hope it can help their community until mass-produced bottles start populating the shelves again.

    Lazy Magnolia has gotten creative after weathering multiple disasters and roadblocks in their 15 years on the Coast.

    The brewery started the year Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast. They survived the BP oil spill, the 2008 market crash and most recently the Bonnet Carré Spillway’s impact on tourism.

    This is another hard time they plan to help their community through.

    “We really want to be something good,” Henderson said. “We had to get creative and keep people employed. That’s just in our nature now, to all get together… How can we be a positive in our community?”

  • Governor Reeves Provides Unemployment Benefits to Help Mississippi Workers During COVID-19 Outbreak

    Governor Reeves Provides Unemployment Benefits to Help Mississippi Workers During COVID-19 Outbreak

    JACKSON — Today, Governor Tate Reeves announced efforts to provide unemployment benefits to help Mississippi workers and their families impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak.

    Working to support Mississippi’s dedicated workforce and relieve undue burdens, Governor Reeves signed an executive order (below) instructing the Mississippi Department of Employment Security (MDES) to expedite payments to unemployed Mississippians and relax collection requirements on employers.

    The Governor made the announcement directly addressing Mississippi via Facebook Live.

    “This is not a time for us to panic. This is a time for us to come together as Mississippians, as Americans. Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, and their employees are the people who keep our economy going. We have worked very closely with the Mississippi Department of Employment Security to help employees of small businesses that are having a difficult time keeping their doors open in these challenging times,” said Governor Tate Reeves.

    Governor Reeves is waiving the one-wee k waiting period to receive unemployment benefits for all claims filed from March 8 to June 27 and suspending all work search requirements that normally must be met to receive benefits.

    To relieve some of the pressure on employers, the Governor is also suspending all collection activities, such as enrollment of liens and tax garnishments, and providing MDES and employers some flexibility as we move forward during this difficult time.

    Governor Reeves is currently working on next steps to take care of Mississippi employers and help them navigate this unprecedented time.