Governor Edwards reinstates the statewide indoor mask mandate effective Wednesday for everyone five and older. Edwards says there is a dangerous amount of COVID spreading through the state right now and the vast majority of it is the more deadly and infectious Delta variant.
Edwards was surrounded and supported by health officials and business organizations across the state.
The state reported more than 11,000 new COVID cases today and just under two thousand hospitalizations. 27 new fatalities were also reported. Edwards says while the mandate goes in effect Wednesday, he urged Louisianans not to wait. Previous mask mandates were for individuals 8 and up it’s now been lowered to age five and up.
A man killed his grandmother and attempted to kill his mother in East Baton Rouge Parish Sunday morning then went on a shooting spree trying to steal a getaway car. Sheriff Sid Gautreaux says the suspect is 28-year-old Aaron Morgan stole a second car after initially fleeing in his grandmother’s car. Police spotted the stolen vehicle on Siegen Lane. Then a pursuit on foot ensued.
Democratic State House chairs Chad Brown and Vincent Pierre were removed from their posts, seemingly as retaliation by the Republican Speaker for votes in the recent veto override session. LaPolitics.com publisher Jeremy Alford says this move was blowback for the two Democrats’ votes against legislation banning transgender athletes from girls’ sports.
Two other Democrats were also removed from key committee assignments.