St.Mary COVID case rise mirrors state

As Louisiana buckles down for another month of Phase Two COVID-19 restrictions, St. Mary has shown a growth in in the rate of new positive tests along with the rest of the state.
Since June 15, the number of positive tests among St. Mary people since the pandemic began was up by 56, or about 15.5%.
St. Martin Parish, where an outbreak has been reported at a work site, has seen COVID positives rise by 255 to 606, a number that may have been influenced by a Louisiana Office of Public Health review of its data. The number of St. Martin deaths, which had been reported as 28 at one point, is now at 27.
Assumption has seen 60 new positives in 10 days for a pandemic total of 334 with 14 deaths.
Statewide, the number of positives since June 15 is up about 13.2%. The number of people in hospitals for COVID-19 treatment has risen about 15% to 653.
The number of hospitalizations is watched for what it says about the spread of COVID and as a gauge of how much hospital capacity is available for patients who need treatment.
Since Monday, the Governor’s Office said in a news release, Louisiana has added 3,637 new COVID-19 cases, a steady uptick in new positives.
“We have watched with concern as cases continue to rise in Louisiana, which is why we are pausing the state in Phase Two for now,” said Gov. John Bel Edwards, who has signed an order extending Phase Two restrictions for another 28 days.
“Data from the last three days makes it crystal clear that Louisiana is not ready to move to Phase Three just yet. Our plan is to watch the daily trends and then to do another deep dive into the data in 14 days to determine if things are improving or getting worse, so we can make a plan for our future.
“None of us wants to go back to a time of greater restrictions, which is why it is incredibly important that all Louisianans take the necessary mitigation measures to slow the spread of COVID-19 in the state, including wearing cloth masks or face coverings when they are in public, staying home if you are sick or experiencing symptoms, keeping six feet of social distance and washing their hands frequently.”
In a recent blog, Dr. Chip Riggins, the top health officer for the Department of Health region that includes St. Mary and Assumption, said the biggest challenge may be the idea that “as a community, we have to be either fully open or fully closed.
“I see our new normal as a balancing act between opening up until the data shows the disease is spreading again and then slowing down or even backing up in our reopening if necessary until the disease slows. Fighting COVID-19 reminds me of riding a unicycle: It requires a lot of minor adjustments, and that means a lot of minor changes to our recommendations.”