Edwards will extend stay at home order

Gov. John Bel Edwards' stay at home order will be extended through the end of the month, and a resumption of K-12 classes this school year seems less likely after the governor's Monday afternoon press conference on COVID-19 progress.

Also Monday, the state announced that all Louisiana Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program enrollees -- food stamp recipients -- will receive the maximum allowable benefits during the pandemic. And Edwards named a commander for the Guard and Navy personnel who will be working in the state.

Edwards noted that President Donald Trump on Sunday extended federal mitigation measures through the end of April. Edwards' orders, including the stay at home proclamation and the closure of public schools, were to continue to April 13.

"By the end of this week," Edwards said, "I will be issuing an additional proclamation to get mine in line with what the president announced yesterday."

Beyond that, "we'll see if any modification of the stay at home order is warranted."

Edwards said he had talked with both the president and Vice President Mike Pence. Trump promised help in obtaining ventilators from a federal emergency stockpile, although there was no firm time.

Louisiana has still only received just over 190 ventilators after requesting 12,000 from private and federal sources.

The governor thanked the president for declaring Monday to be National Doctors Day. Edwards called health care providers heroes for their work in the face of the pandemic.

Pence expressed sympathy to Edwards on the death of April Dunn, a state disabilities advocate.

The food stamp boost will affect just more than half of the state's SNAP recipients. Some additional funds will be posted automatically to EBT cards Tuesday, and more will be added April 17. Work requirements for some SNAP recipients, able-bodied adults without dependents, have been waived for now.

Because call center volume has increased 3-1/2 times, the Department of Children and Family Services is asking people to apply for benefits at dcfs.la.gov/getSNAP or by texting "getsnap" to 898211.

Also Monday:

--Edwards named Brig. Gen. Lee W. Hopkins of the Louisiana National Guard to command Guard troops called up to support the coronavirus effort and the 180-200 U.S. Navy medical personnel who will help staff hospital beds at the Morial Convention Center and a makeshift facility for those awaiting test results in New Orleans.

--Monday's Office of Public Health report showed that the number of Louisiana tests for COVID-19 has topped 4,000, and the number of fatalities is now 185.

"While there is a slight positive trend in our numbers ... under any feasible scenario we are going to exceed our medical capacity," Edwards said.

The first area to be hit will be Region I, the area around New Orleans. Orleans and Jefferson parishes together have more than 2,300 COVID-19 cases and account for 123 of the state's deaths.

Edwards again urged people to follow the stay at home order and social distancing guidelines to slow the spread and avoid a sudden surge that overwhelms hospitals.

"We need to have better compliance than we've had," Edwards said.

This story has been edited to correct the number of sailors who will staff the Morial Convention Center and the personnel housing unit.