Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) on Friday released updated guidance urging residents to wear masks indoors when social distancing is not possible as the state sees thousands of new COVID-19 cases each day due in part to the highly transmissible delta variant.
Edwards said in a press release that the updated recommendations were made in consultation with the Louisiana Department of Health due to the rapid rise in infections and hospitalizations, as well as notification from the White House that Louisiana had been labeled a “state of concern,” with one of the lowest vaccination rates in the country.
Friday’s guidelines say that all residents should wear masks as an extra layer of protection, regardless of their vaccination status.
The health department recommended that businesses “review their operations to accommodate employees in a way that reduces unnecessary contact to avoid the spread of COVID in the workplace.”
State health officials also said that anyone who has had a known or suspected exposure to an infected individual should “immediately” take a COVID-19 test and should promptly isolate if they test positive.
Edwards stopped short of issuing a statewide mask mandate or specific restrictions on gatherings and businesses.
The governor said in a statement Friday that Louisiana leads the country in case growth, attributing this to the delta variant and the low pace of vaccinations.
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As of Friday, about 41 percent of Louisiana residents had received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine, with only 36 percent fully vaccinated, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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"This should come as no surprise to anyone who has watched our case counts and hospitalizations continue to climb," Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) said. https://t.co/V1FxbROQS5
— The Hill (@thehill) July 24, 2021
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