Governor: Time for a 'gut check' on COVID

As the Governor’s Office considers announcing a move into Phase Three COVID-19 restrictions next week, the latest coronavirus statistics are raising red flags.
The Louisiana Office of Public Health has reported more than 4,200 new COVID-19 cases since June 10, not counting the entry of backlogged test results from as far back as April 1 into the database.
Most of those new cases did not result from infections in nursing homes and other settings where vulnerable people are in close quarters for long periods, said Dr. Alex Billioux, assistant secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health, at a press conference Thursday.
“That means it was community spread,” Billioux said.
One of the three Department of Health regions identified as problem areas, in the Monroe area, is seeing improvement, Billioux said. But another region, the Acadiana area centered on Lafayette, is seeing a larger-than-expected increase in the number of cases and hospitalizations.
The other troubled areas are around Lake Charles and Alexandria.
“The reality is that because of the trends we’re seeing, Louisianans need to do a real gut check to see if they’re slacking off when it comes … to taking precautions,” Gov. John Bel Edwards said at the press conference.
He urged Louisiana people to continue wearing masks in public, observing social distancing, washing hands frequently and staying at home when they’re sick. Edwards and Billioux urged people to stay out of businesses that aren’t complying with COVID mitigation precautions.
“Those things are as important today as they were at the height of the pandemic,” Edwards said, “when we had the highest growth rate anywhere in the country and anywhere in the world.”
Also on Thursday, the Office of Public Health did not post what has become its daily update of new COVID cases, deaths, hospitalizations and ventilator usage.
Edwards said the day was needed to check the data, making sure that duplicate records are eliminating and that cases are assigned to the parishes where they belong.
In the numbers reported Wednesday, St. Mary had a total of 363 positive COVID-19 tests and 35 deaths since the pandemic began.
St. Martin’s case count has fluctuated widely in recent weeks, and it’s not clear how much of the increase reported this week comes from new cases and backlogged cases. The OPH reports 441 cases and 28 deaths among St. Martin people.
Assumption has 282 cases and 14 deaths.
Also Thursday, Public Health Officer Jimmy Guidry said about a third of the state’s nursing homes haven’t complied with mandated testing requirements and may face sanctions, including the withholding of Medicaid payments.
Under the White House reopening protocol, Phase Three says vulnerable people can resume public interactions but should practice social distancing and minimizing exposure to situations where that’s not practical.
Other people should continue minimizing time spent in crowded environments.
Employers will be able to resume unrestricted staffing of worksites.
Phase Three suggests that visits to senior care facilities and hospitals can resume, although those who interact with residents and patients should be diligent about hygiene.