LUY-Development

Tag: virus

  • Louisiana governor: stay-home order ‘may well’ be extended

    Louisiana governor: stay-home order ‘may well’ be extended

    NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Orders closing many Louisiana businesses and keeping people home to slow the spread of COVID-19 ‘may well’ have to be extended past April 13, Gov. John Bel Edwards said Sunday.

    He spoke as the numbers of Louisiana residents falling ill and dying from the new coronavirus continued to rise and as a large church near Baton Rouge continued to flout a statewide ban on gatherings of more than 10 people. And New Orleans’ police chief said the department has received hundreds of complaints about gatherings.

    Texas, which said Friday that anyone flying from New Orleans to Texas would have to self-quarantine for two weeks, tightened down further on Louisiana. Gov. Greg Abbott said state troopers will patrol highways on the Louisiana state line and require “everyone stopped” to self-isolate, with drivers filling out a form to state where in Texas they will do so. It wasn’t immediately clear how aggressive those patrols would be.

    Edwards and New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell spoke to reporters at a briefing that was livestreamed from outside the city’s convention center, which is being transformed into a 1,000-bed hospital.

    That hospital, for recovering patients who no longer need ventilators or intensive care, will open by April 5, as will a nearby 250-bed center for some people awaiting test results, Edwards said. They won’t be walk-in and won’t allow visitors, he said.

    The highly contagious virus that causes COVID-19 generally brings on mild or no symptoms but can cause serious illness. Nearly a third of the 3,500 people diagnosed in Louisiana are hospitalized, and about one-third of those patients — 380 on Sunday — need ventilators, state data show.

    Edwards said that he has asked for 5,000 ventilators from the federal stockpile and ordered 7,000 from suppliers over the past several weeks. He has received 192.

    “We are looking at every breathing device” that might possibly be used with patients who have trouble breathing on their own, he said.

    More than 150 patients have died in Louisiana. Edwards noted that they include 33-year-old April Dunn of his Office of Disability Affairs. The death toll also included the first federal prison inmate — a man with “serious preexisting conditions” who was being held in Oakdale, Lousiana, the U.S. Bureau of Prisons said Saturday.

    Cases have been identified in nearly all of Louisiana’s 64 parishes. The five exceptions are all rural.

    The number of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities with at least two apparently related cases has rose from 11 on Saturday to 20 on Sunday, the state Department of Health reported.

    In Central, a city of nearly 29,000 outside Baton Rouge, an estimated 500 people entered Life Tabernacle for the first of three Sunday services.

    “Other congregations are using the Internet, Skype, and other safe ways to congregate. Why can’t they? What makes them so special?” said Paul Quinn, who lives nearby.

    He said it’s more than city police can handle, and state police should enforce the ban. Neither Central Police Chief Roger Corcoran nor a spokesman for Louisiana State Police responded immediately to requests for comment.

    Members of the congregation are posing a serious health hazard, Quinn said, adding “They don’t know how many people they’re affecting, and they don’t seem to care.”

    Timothy Spell, father of Pastor Tony Spell, said Life Tabernacle has a right to assembly, is not forcing anyone to attend services, is not breaking any laws and will continue to hold services at the church.

    Flagrant disregard of statewide social distancing measures is selfish and “grossly irresponsible,” Edwards said.

  • Mississippi gov: Cities can to set tighter limits amid virus

    Mississippi gov: Cities can to set tighter limits amid virus

    JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves hasn’t ordered a statewide stay-at-home order even as the Health Department updated the state’s confirmed coronavirus caseload on Friday to at least 579 people and eight deaths.

    The Republican leader did say it’s OK if cities and counties impose tighter restrictions than what he’s ordered in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

    Reeves issued an executive order Tuesday telling people to avoid gatherings of 10 or more and broadly defining which businesses are so “essential” that they can remain open. That order said restaurants can offer carry-out or delivery meals but must close their dining rooms unless they’re able to keep 10 or fewer people, including staff, at least 6 feet (2 meters) apart.

    Some cities went further, ordering all restaurant dining rooms closed. After hearing from the Mississippi Municipal League, Reeves issued a clarification to his executive order acknowledging they have the power to do that.

    “Many of them are working very, very hard, and we want to allow them to do what’s best for their communities,” Reeves said Thursday during a news conference at the Governor’s Mansion.

    Because testing remains limited as the outbreak grows exponentially, many people moving around their communities may not know they’ve inhaled the virus until well after they’ve infected others. Places where people who aren’t isolating share the air with others pose a particular risk, since the highly contagious virus has been shown to live in the air for several hours.

    Most infected people experience mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks, but a fraction of people suffering more severe illnesses can require respirators to survive, and as as the caseload rapidly grows, hospitals are bracing for a coming wave of patients.

    Reeves has been criticized by some lawmakers and mayors who say he hasn’t been aggressive enough.

    Mississippi will begin investigations to find people who have been near those testing positive for the coronavirus and will tell those contacts to quarantine themselves, Reeves and the state health officer, Dr. Thomas Dobbs, announced Thursday.

    Dobbs said the contact-tracing plan is based on programs that helped slow the spread of the virus in Singapore and South Korea. Those countries have had widespread testing, though, and that scale of testing is not yet available in the United States. It’s not clear whether the contact-tracing efforts in Mississippi are beginning too late to have much effect or whether the state Health Department and other agencies will have enough people to work on the program.

    Dobbs said if health officials find a rapid growth of cases in a particular community, they could seek broad limitations on people’s movements.

    Mississippi legislators left the state Capitol last week to curb the spread of the virus in a building that typically attracts hundreds of people a day. House and Senate leaders said Thursday that they are dropping the plan for legislators to return April 1, and the session remains on hold indefinitely.

  • Drew Brees, Wife Brittany Donating $5M to State of Louisiana for COVID-19 Relief

    Drew Brees, Wife Brittany Donating $5M to State of Louisiana for COVID-19 Relief

    New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees and his wife, Brittany, pledged $5,000,000 to the state of Louisiana to help with the coronavirus pandemic.

    “After considerable research and conversations with local organizations, we will be mobilizing our partnerships with Second Harvest Food Bank, Ochsner Health Systems, Walk-Ons, Jimmy Johns, Smalls Sliders and Waitr to prepare and deliver over 10,000 meals per day throughout Louisiana for as long as it takes to children on meal programs, seniors, and families in need,” Brees wrote on Instagram.

  • Increased testing shows ballooning virus cases in Louisiana

    Increased testing shows ballooning virus cases in Louisiana

    BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana scrambled to ready makeshift hospitals and track down ventilators as the steady uptick of coronavirus cases continued Wednesday in a state that had already been one of the most infected per capita.

    Nearly 1,800 people in the state were confirmed to have the COVID-19 disease caused by the coronavirus, according to figures from Louisiana’s health department, an increase of 400 from the previous day. Sixty-five Louisiana residents have died, only two weeks after the state’s first positive test, the data shows. The disease has been confirmed in three-quarters of Louisiana’s 64 parishes.

    President Donald Trump granted a federal disaster declaration for Louisiana on Tuesday night, acknowledging the scale of Louisiana’s outbreak and unlocking millions of dollars in federal aid for the state’s response. The designation, which had been sought by Gov. John Bel Edwards, adds Louisiana to a list that includes California, Washington and New York to get reimbursement for certain expenses dating back to Jan. 20 and other forms of assistance.

    Louisiana has the third-highest rate of confirmed virus cases per capita, Edwards said. He warned that the state could run out of ventilators for patients in the New Orleans area within the first week of April.

    “This virus has spread across the state of Louisiana. This is real. And our state and everyone in it needs to take it very seriously,” the Democratic governor said Wednesday. “The trajectory of our case growth continues to be very alarming. We have not begun to flatten the curve yet.”

    Edwards issued a statewide “stay at home” order for most of Louisiana’s 4.6 million residents that began Monday evening. He said he was hopeful that compliance with the restrictions would start to shrink daily spikes in new virus cases, particularly those that require hospitalization.

    In New Orleans, doctors and hospital officials said they were coping with an increased number of patients needing intensive care and working to avoid the possible overwhelming of their systems. Dr. John Schieffelin, an assistant professor at Tulane’s medical school who also practices in the LCMC hospital system in New Orleans, said hospitals are stressed, but coping so far.

    “If the numbers keep on doubling every few days, then in a couple of weeks we’ll really have a problem again,” Schieffelin said.

    Officials with Ochsner Health system, with facilities across much of south Louisiana, said they were urging staff to conserve personal protective equipment — in some cases reusing masks and patients’ gowns — to avoid falling short as needs rise.

    “Clusters” of coronavirus cases have been identified at six Louisiana nursing homes, the health department said, refusing to provide a full list of the facilities.

    For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death. The vast majority of people recover. But the virus is highly contagious and has caused a global pandemic.

    Louisiana, like other states, is scrounging for gloves, masks and ventilators to treat the sick.

    “The people that manage logistics for the hospital are just at it 24/7, looking at needs and seeking out supplies,” said Dr. Jimmy Ellis, a cancer specialist affiliated with West Jefferson Medical Center outside New Orleans.

    Ventilators were particularly in short supply.

    Even with expected shipments of 300 ventilators to the New Orleans region over the next week, the area will remain an estimated 600 short, Edwards said. Hospitals are considering ways to retrofit existing breathing devices. Meanwhile, Edwards said Apple CEO Tim Cook was donating 100,000 respirator masks to Louisiana.

    To supplement diminishing hospital space, Louisiana is negotiating with hotels to provide additional hospital beds as needed, and may use the New Orleans convention center to house patients who need less intensive medical care, Edwards said. Three state parks have been converted into isolation sites that can receive quarantined patients who can’t go home.

    Hospitals were getting help from local businesses. A local maker of apparel has turned to making masks, and a local distillery has begun making and donating hand sanitizer, according to Ochsner officials.

  • Mississippi gov: Closing businesses amid virus could do harm

    JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said Monday that he is not ordering businesses to close or people to stay at home to try to slow the spread of the coronavirus, in contrast to what several other governors are doing.

    Republican Reeves strongly suggested that Mississippians follow state Health Department recommendations to wash their hands, stay home if possible and keep distance from others in places like grocery stores. He said he is trying to balance concerns about public health and the economy.

    “We don’t want to make any decisions that will ultimately do more harm than good,” Reeves said Monday during a Facebook live session in which he spent nearly an hour answering questions from the public.

    Reeves led a prayer session Sunday on Facebook and suggested that people avoid gathering in large groups. He faced intensifying criticism Monday from some local officials and state lawmakers who said he needs to issue a statewide order for people to stay at home unless they have essential jobs or are getting groceries or prescriptions.

    “Mayors and local leaders are putting in place differing curfews and orders. This patchwork system is creating public confusion that will result in panic,” Democratic state Rep. Jarvis Dortch wrote Monday on Twitter.

    Reeves last week ordered public schools to remain closed until at least mid-April. Some schools are taking steps to help students with distance learning. In the Jackson suburb of Clinton, teachers on Monday distributed iPads. Some parents wore masks or gloves when they picked up the tablets.

    Reeves said Monday that day care centers are among the businesses that remain open.

    The Mississippi State Department of Health on Monday reported the state had 249 confirmed cases of the coronavirus as of 6 p.m. Sunday. The department said one Mississippi resident has died of COVID-19; he was a Hancock County resident who had underlying medical conditions, and he died last week in a Louisiana hospital.

    Several medical facilities in Mississippi are now providing coronavirus testing to people with fever and “severe cough or chest pain,” and screening began Monday for people to get appointments for a drive-thru testing site that opens Tuesday on the Mississippi State Fairgrounds.

    The health department said Biloxi, Ocean Springs and Tupelo each have two test sites open. The other sites, as of Monday, were in Bay St. Louis, Fulton, Gulfport, Hattiesburg, Hurley, Jackson, Long Beach, Pascagoula, Philadelphia, Vancleave, Wiggins and Woolmarket.

    The vast majority of people infected with the novel coronavirus get only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough, and recover in about two weeks. But many will need hospitalization. Particularly vulnerable are older adults and those with existing health problems who can develop severe complications, including pneumonia.

    The Mississippi health department recommended last week that bars and restaurants stop dine-in services and only provide carry-out orders of food.

    Gulfport closed all of its city buildings and facilities, including parks, as of midnight Friday. A statement from the city said many people are adhering to suggestions of social isolation.

    “Unfortunately, there are some in our community who have irresponsibly ignored these recommendations,” Gulfport officials said in a statement late Friday. “People continuing to congregate in the public and at places of business have only served to penalize those observing the new protocols — and worse, have created an environment where this invasive contagion can easily spread.”

  • At least 7 Louisiana nursing homes now dealing with virus

    BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana, New York and Georgia lead the nation in the number of nursing homes with coronavirus cases, a federal report shows.

    There are at least seven homes in each of the three states where confirmed or suspected coronavirus cases have been detected, according to Sunday’s report from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

    Current or suspected cases of COVID-19 have been found in at least four nursing homes in each of three other states: Washington, Illinois and New Jersey.

    This coronavirus causes only minor flu-like symptoms in most people, who recover in a matter of weeks. But it is highly contagious and can cause severe illness or death in higher numbers among the elderly and people with underlying health problems.

    The FEMA report breaks out the total number of nursing homes and skilled nursing facilities dealing with the virus.

    In a separate category tracking assisted living facilities, the report shows that Washington state and New Jersey have some of the highest numbers of confirmed or suspected cases in those types of facilities.

    In Louisiana, Gov. John Bel Edwards ordered all 4.6 million residents to voluntarily stay at home starting at 5 p.m. on Monday unless they’re performing an essential task like getting food or medicine.

    First-responders and workers in grocery stores, pharmacies, doctors’ offices and other critical infrastructure are exempt from his directive, which will remain in effect until April 12, and could be extended beyond that.

  • Coronavirus infections in Louisiana climb to more than 830

    NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Coronavirus infections in Louisiana have climbed to more than 830 Sunday, and testing was being made available to more people in the New Orleans area where the outbreak was centered, state health officials said.

    Affected residents live in 36 of the state’s 64 parishes, and 20 people have died from COVID-19, according to the state health department.

    State health officials on Saturday announced that drive-thru testing for the virus in the New Orleans area would be available to a wider range of people.

    Testing was previously open only to health care workers and first responders exhibiting symptoms consistent with the COVID-19 disease caused by the virus. But beginning Sunday, testing was to 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 Saturday.

    Three federally funded test sites are operating in the state, two in New Orleans and one in nearby Jefferson Parish.

    Testing in New Orleans is happening 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.

    For most people, the virus 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 complications such as pneumonia. The vast majority recover.

  • Louisiana governor issues statewide ‘stay at home’ order

    BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Gov. John Bel Edwards ordered all 4.6 million people in Louisiana to voluntarily stay at home starting at 5 p.m. on Monday unless they’re performing an essential task like getting food or medicine.

    First-responders and workers in grocery stores, pharmacies, doctors’ offices and other critical infrastructure are exempt from his directive, which will remain in effect until April 12, and could be extended beyond that.

    The directive doesn’t describe any details on enforcement, and leaves people with plenty of maneuvering room.

    Essential activities, it says, include getting exercise and fresh air, walking their pets, going to family homes and places of worship. But in all cases, people should practice social distancing, avoid groups of 10 or more, and shouldn’t visit friends or family without an “urgent need.”

    “The bottom line is we are in a race against time when it comes to this coronavirus and its rapid spread in Louisiana,” Edwards said at a news conference on Sunday.

    Edwards said voluntary compliance is the best way to contain the virus, he said.

    “We’re not going to be doing checkpoints and asking people to tell us why they’re out and about,” the Democrat said. “If the people of Louisiana demand that we enforce it before they honor it, we are in deep trouble, so I’m asking people to be good citizens.”

    Edwards said Louisiana could run out of health care capacity between seven to 10 days.

    “There is no reason to believe we won’t be the next Italy,” Edwards said. Already, Louisiana has the third highest number of cases per capita among U.S. states, he said.

    This coronavirus causes only minor flu-like symptoms in most people, who recover in a matter of weeks. But it is highly contagious and can cause severe illness or death in some, particularly the elderly and those with underlying health problems. Severe cases are often only able to breathe with respirators.

    New York, California, Illinois and some cities have issued similar shelter in place orders in the last few days. New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell had issued a similar order for that city two days ago.

    State health officials said infections in Louisiana climbed to more than 830 on Sunday, with 20 deaths, as testing became more available. Edwards described a tenfold increase in just one week.

    “I do not take this action lightly, but there are some basic facts that we just simply cannot deny or ignore,” Edwards said.

    Edwards said restaurants can remain open for carry-out or delivery, and critical manufacturers, agriculture and utilities must continue. But he said businesses such as theaters, concert halls, hair salons and children’s play places should close.

    As for day care centers, he said they should follow guidelines from state education and health officials; it’s important, he said, that some of these remain open so health care employees can go to work.

    The mayor of New Orleans on Sunday said testing is increasing, but they need public cooperation to help control the spread of the virus.

    “The message we are here to make very clear to the public: Stay home,” Cantrell said. “Your health care providers are at work to protect you … but they can not protect us from ourselves if we are not following the rules.”

  • Mississippi gov seeks to help unemployed amid virus outbreak

    JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Confirmed coronavirus infections climbed to more than 200 in Mississippi, and the governor announced plans to provide quicker access to unemployment benefits for residents affected by the outbreak.

    The more than 200 cases were reported as of 6 p.m. Saturday, according to state health department figures updated Sunday. A single COVID-19 death has been reported in the state.

    Gov. Tate Reeves on Saturday took action to help relieve burdens on the state’s workforce, according to a news release. He signed an executive order instructing the Mississippi Department of Employment Security to expedite payments to unemployed workers and relax collection requirements on employers.

    “Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, and their employees are the people who keep our economy going,” the governor said in an announcement made on Facebook Live. “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.”

    Reeves waived a one-week waiting period for unemployment benefits for all claims filed from March 8 to June 27. He also suspended work search requirements that applicants must normally meet to receive benefits.

    The governor also suspended collection activity, including enrollment of liens and tax garnishments.

    The city of Vicksburg is implementing a city-wide curfew beginning Monday from 11 p.m. until 5 a.m., according to the mayor’s office. People are not allowed to be on city streets during those times, although people traveling to and from work, medical workers and first-responders and law enforcement would be exempt from the curfew. The city also directed restaurants to end on-site dining, but take-out and delivery could continue.

    The Mississippi Law Enforcement Officer’s Training Academy suspended operations until further notice, the Mississippi Department of Public Safety announced.

    The vast majority of people infected with the novel coronavirus get only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough, and recover in about two weeks. But many will need hospitalization. Particularly vulnerable are older adults and those with existing health problems who can develop severe complications, including pneumonia.

    COVID-19 testing will begin next week at the Mississippi Fairgrounds in Jackson. The drive-thru testing site will open by appointment starting Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for those showing symptoms such as fever or respiratory problems, state health officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs said.

  • 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.