The 54 new COVID-19 deaths reported yesterday were by far the largest total of deaths the state has seen in any 24-hour period. Matt Doyle has reaction from the Governor…

Cut 2 (30) “…Matt Doyle ”

St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff Office announces a curfew on all residents beginning at 9 p.m. today. The curfew will run every day from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. due to the imminent threat of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the alarming rise of cases. Essential workers are exempt.

The Louisiana Workforce Commission has given the green light to eligibility for gig economy workers such as Uber and Lyft drivers to apply for unemployment assistance.  LWC executive director Ava Dejoie says if someone has recently applied and been denied, for being a 1099 employee, waiter or waitress, or rideshare driver, eligibility will be retroactive.

Cut  4 (10)_ “…of your filing”

There’s widespread frustration about how long it can take to get results back for a coronavirus test, but at the Tulane Medical Center Laboratories results only take four hours. Medical Director Dr. Byron Crawford says initially the only FDA approved test was a manual procedure, but the feds recently OK’d a new procedure using equipment Tulane has on-site.

Cut 13 (07) “…hours.”

Louisiana reported its biggest increase in COVID-19 cases and related deaths in a 24 hour period yesterday, evidence the state has yet to begin flattening the curve. 1,212 new positive tests were reported and 54 deaths. Governor John Bel Edwards says for those who haven’t been socially distancing…
Cut 7 (07) “…right now”
Edwards hopes the dramatic increase was just a logjam of tests coming in.

Rev Tony Spell of Life Tabernacle Church in Central was issued a summons Tuesday on six counts of violating the governor’s order banning large gatherings. East Baton Rouge District Attorney Hillar Moore…
Cut 10 (08) “…calls for.”
The summons didn’t stop Spell from having another service last night that featured a large gathering.

A new COVID-19 test can give the results in four hours. The new test kit created by L-C-M-C Health and its partners will be available to patients at Tulane Medical Center and at the University Medical Center in New Orleans. Tulane Medical Director Byron Crawford says finding out who has the coronavirus and who doesn’t it, is vital in the fight against the virus…
cut 14 (11) “…equipment”
Crawford says he’s confident this kind of technology will be widely available to other medical centers soon.

In a non-COVID-19 story, a 17-year-old in Caddo Parish has been charged in a fatal hit-and-run. The victim, 38-year-old Joshua Parrish was found at the end of a driveway on Monday night. Authorities say the unidentified teen turned himself in yesterday morning and told detectives he though he hit a sign, but did not stop to investigate.

Governor John Bel Edwards says yesterday’s large increase in the number of positive coronavirus cases and deaths should be a wake-up call for Louisiana. The state reported 1,212 new cases and 54 new deaths…
cut 9 (08) “…I was startled”
Edwards says Louisianans need to do a better job at staying at home and social distancing.

Self-employed workers are now eligible for unemployment insurance as a result of the federal stimulus bill that passed last week. Louisiana Workforce Commission executive director Ava Dejoie says they have yet to receive federal guidelines on to handle applications from independent contractors, but they can apply now…
cut 5 (10) “…no longer working”

Rev. Tony Spell of Life Tabernacle Church in Central faces six misdemeanor charges for violating the governor’s stay-at-home order. Brooke Thorington has more.
Cut 3 (30) “…I’m Brooke Thorington”

The Iberia Parish Sheriff’s office has issued a cease-and-desist letter to Pastor Wesley Jackson of the Calvary Pentecostal Church in Jeanerette. Authorities are urging him to stop violating the state ban on large gatherings. The letter was delivered during a church service yesterday where an estimated 50 people were in attendance.

The 54 new COVID-19 deaths reported yesterday were by far the largest total of deaths the state has seen in any 24 hour period. Matt Doyle has the governor’s reaction…
Cut 2 (31) “…Matt Doyle ”

Edwards also says the New Orleans area could run out of ventilators int he New Orleans area by Saturday. The governor says 150 ventilators are on their way from the federal government. Also, one-thousand hospital beds in the New Orleans convention center will be ready by Sunday.

Pastor Tony Spell of the Life Tabernacle Church in Central in East Baton Rouge Parish faces six misdemeanor charges for holding large services, which goes against Governor Edwards ban on large gatherings. East Baton Rouge District Attorney Hillar Moore on why six counts…
cut 11 (09) “….different days”
More charges could be coming, as Reverend Spell held another large service last night.

Last week’s passage of the federal stimulus bill means independent contractors and self-employed workers are able to apply for unemployment insurance. The stimulus bill provides 600-dollars a week through July 31st, but Louisiana Workforce Commission executive director Ava Dejoie admits the crush of applicants is making it difficult for many to apply…
cut 6 (12) “…process for everyone”

Tuesday was the deadliest day in Louisiana’s fight against the coronavirus as the state reported 54 new deaths to bring the death toll to 239. Louisiana is also reporting 52-hundred cases as over 12-hundred new cases were reported yesterday. Governor John Bel Edwards…
cut 8 (09) “….gets’
Edwards says they know that the stay-at-home order and social distancing works and we’ll eventually see the results.

Police in suburban Baton Rouge cites a pastor for violating the state’s order that limits crowd sizes. East Baton Rouge District Attorney Hillar Moore says with courts closed, it’s hard to say when Reverend Tony Spell will make a court appearance…
cut 12 (07) “…arraignment”
Spell held another large service last night. The charges he faces are misdemeanors that carry a maximum punishment of 500-dollars and up to six months in jail.

Gig economy workers such as Uber and Lyft drivers have been given the green light to apply for unemployment assistance from the Louisiana Workforce Commission. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
Cut 1 (29) “I’m Kevin Barnhart”