Edwards imposes new mask mandate to fight fourth COVID wave

Gov. John Bel Edwards announced Monday that his emergency proclamation will be amended to include a statewide mask mandate for people, vaccinated or unvaccinated, in indoor public spaces.

The mandate will apply to everyone 5 and over and will take effect Wednesday. It will be in effect until Sept. 1.

The mandate will apply to schools, Edwards said. The St. Mary Parish School Board had voted July 8 to recommend but not require masks for students and employees. The 2021-22 school year begins here Friday.

The move comes after the governor and State Health Officer Dr. Joseph Kanter said Friday that COVID hospitalizations in Louisiana are at seven times the level they were a month ago, and that a key measure of new COVID cases per capita is 900% of what it was in early July.

More than 13% of recent COVID tests have returned positive results.