BATON ROUGE – Governor John Bel Edwards is making changes to the state’s Phase 2 reopening plan as the COVID-19 crisis in Louisiana worsens and the number of confirmed cases continues to spike across the state.
Edwards announced today that he would sign a new executive order requiring citizens to wear masks in public places throughout the state. The order will go into effect at midnight on July 13.
The state is not going back to Phase 1, Edwards said, but bars will once again be prohibited from serving customers inside under the new regulations. Social gatherings over 50 people will also be banned under the terms of the upcoming executive order.
Requiring masks may not be popular, but it is essential to slow the spread of coronavirus across the state, Edwards said.
There have now been two consecutive days in July where the Louisiana Department of Health reported more than 2,000 new cases. On July 10, 2,642 new cases were reported, and 2,167 new cases were reported on July 11.
The LDH has begun tracking clusters of outbreaks, identifying bars and food processing facilities as major drivers of new clusters of outbreaks.
Stay tuned to WGNO for continuing coverage of the coronavirus crisis in Louisiana.