AM LRN Newscall Aug 3

Several major business groups have released statements in support of the Governor’s reinstatement of the mask mandate fearing the economic fallout the would occur should the Delta surge get out of control. Matt Doyle has the story.

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Far more children appear to be getting COVID than at any time before due to the Delta variant. Matt Doyle has the story.

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If you’ve been diagnosed with COVID and are in the process of recovering health officials say understand that the virus impacts people differently. Brooke Thorington has more.

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Influential business lobbies have come out in support of the Governor’s reinstatement of the mask mandate.

Louisiana Restaurant Association President Stan Harris says the state’s mom and pop restaurants need you to mask up so they can stay open…

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The LRA is joined by the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry, The National Federation of Independent Business, and the Mid Continent Oil and Gas Association in asking members to comply with the mask mandate.

Harris says business groups are especially concerned about Louisiana’s rapidly shrinking hospital capacity amidst the Delta surge and the economic repercussions of letting this surge get out of control.

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Harris says the next time you visit a restaurant please be courteous to the staff about masking and other public health guidelines. He says these guidelines are in place to keep businesses open.

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The indoor mask mandate goes into effect Wednesday for everyone five and older.

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State health officials are warning that the Delta variant appears to impact children much more than the original strain of coronavirus.

Children’s Hospital Chief Academic Officer Dr. Mark Kline says a lot more kids are getting sick with COVID than at any time before.

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Governor Edwards says of the 11,000 cases reported since Friday over 2,000 of them we’re children.

Kline says in the last month they have had as many as 20 children admitted for COVID at any given time.

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Kline says there’s a myth that children are immune to COVID, or that only children with preexisting conditions were at risk of severe cases…

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The Louisiana Department of Revenue is about to turn over more than $10-million to Unclaimed Property. Department of Revenue Spokesperson Byron Henderson says it’s money that was issued by paper checks for tax refunds, from July of 2019 to June of 2020, that have gone uncashed.

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Henderson says the department has sent out 13-thousand letters notifying individuals and businesses of the uncashed checks.

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Henderson says if the voucher is returned before September 15th, they will issue a replacement check.

If for some reason you don’t use the voucher process for a replacement check before the mid-September deadline Henderson says you’ll need then need to go through another process to receive the funds.

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As more and more are diagnosed with COVID due to the Delta variant after the initial infection some are seeing lasting effects from the virus. Chief of Infectious Diseases at LSU Health New Orleans Dr. Julio Figueroa if you are in the process of recovering from COVID he says to listen to your body and take it slow.

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Figueroa says even athletes in top form are finding it difficult to return to their previous breathing capacity before they were infected. He says COVID impacts individuals in different ways.

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As you recover Figueroa says pay attention to anything out of the ordinary and discuss it with your physician.

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After reaching a one-year deal with the Saints, former Falcons running back Devonta Freeman had his first practice with the Black and Gold yesterday. The 29-year-old has rushed for over four thousand yards in his career and he has over two thousand receiving yards. Coach Sean Payton says Freeman gives them added depth and versatility at the running back position…

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Freeman played in five games for the Giants last season, but before that he spent six years in Atlanta. The former Florida State standout has always been impressed with how Coach Sean Payton uses his running backs…

Cut 17 (14) …smart football.” 

While both Payton and Freeman are expressing admiration for each other, back in 2017, Payton made a choking gesture toward Freeman during a game in 2017. But Freeman says they put the incident behind each other the next day…

Cut  18 (19)”…was cool.”