BATON ROUGE, La. (KTVE/KARD) — According to Governor John Bel Edwards’ office, as Louisiana and the nation continue making strides in recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, the governor will not renew his COVID-19 public health emergency order when it expires this week.
The office reported that Gov. Edwards chose not to renew the order because of the significant drop in cases and hospitalizations, and the wide availability of safe and effective vaccines for the first time in 24 months.
“On March 11, 2020 I signed a public health emergency for COVID-19. And while it changed to reflect the ebb and flow of the pandemic, it has remained in effect ever since. This Wednesday, the order expires, and after 24 months, I will not be renewing it,” Gov. Edwards said. “This decision was not made lightly. I have met with GOHSEP, the Department of Health, the Louisiana National Guard, and the Division of Administration to ensure that there will be no federal aid repercussions or other adverse consequences from not renewing the proclamation. I want to be clear that just because the proclamation is expiring doesn’t mean COVID is over. If the circumstances call for it, I will not hesitate to declare another emergency. God willing, we will never have to see such difficult mitigation measures in our state again. Thankfully, at this time, we are no longer in a crisis. I don’t know what the future holds, but I do know that we are in a much better place today than we were two years ago.”
According to Gov. Edwards’ office, the office and his public health advisors will continue to monitor the situation with COVID-19 and provide the public with updates and guidance as is necessary to manage public health in Louisiana’s communities and also to keep hospitals from being overwhelmed. The office cited new community risk models from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which reported most of Louisiana’s parishes have a low risk for COVID spread.
“Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic we have continued to follow the science and the data to guide our response,” State Health Officer Dr. Joseph Kanter said. “Thankfully, we are in a much better situation and a much stronger position than we have been. At the same time, it is not lost on us that today marks the second anniversary of our first COVID-19 death in Louisiana. In just 24 months, nearly 17,000 Louisianans have lost their lives. This pandemic is certainly not over, and our collective work remains unfinished, but I do believe better days are ahead. The COVID-19 vaccines have saved countless lives — and they, therapeutics and a deeper understanding of this virus strengthen us.”
According to the governor’s office, currently all epidemiological data points to a decline in COVID-like illness, new COVID cases, and hospitalizations. The office cited how the CDC’s COVID-19 Community Levels showed the majority of parishes are currently classified as low. The governor’s office stated that two years into the COVID pandemic, Louisiana has many more tools to control the spread of the coronavirus in its communities, including safe and effective vaccines, booster doses, antiviral drugs, monoclonal antibody treatments, at-home tests, and high-quality face masks.
The governor’s office reported that many other states have let their emergency orders expire, even as COVID has continued.
Gov. Edwards’ office stated that Louisiana will continue to support community vaccination and testing as the pandemic requires. According to the governor’s office, now that the state is no longer in a crisis mode, COVID-19 activities including vaccination and testing will increasingly begin to return to traditional healthcare settings. The office reported that COVID-19 testing and vaccinations will remain widely available at local pharmacies, primary care clinics, and Federally Qualified Health Centers throughout the state.
You can call 211 to find a test site or vaccination location near you.
The governor’s office stated that since March 2020, more than 16,913 people have died from COVID in Louisiana, and there have been more than 1.23 million cases. Click here to review the latest epidemiological data about COVID in Louisiana.