COVID-19 is resulting in a shortage of masks needed for the protection of medical professionals on the frontline of treatment, but a social media challenge hopes to fill that void. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
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Senator John Kennedy broke down some of the allocations of the two-trillion dollar emergency funding bill. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
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Governor Edwards presented some dire news about the state’s current growth in cases, and the ventillator situation in the New Orleans area. Jeff Palermo has the story…
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With COVID-19 patients pushing hospitals closer to exceeding capacity and front line personnel running short on masks, seamstresses and hobbyists are volunteering their talents toward filling those voids as part of what has been deemed by sewing circles as the million mask challenge. Philomena Martrain grew up in Baton Rouge and was visiting her parents when the shelter in place order came down.
The masks are used to cover and extend the usage of workers’ personal protection equipment. Martrain picked up some of the techniques from YouTube tutorials and says she’s scrounging together the materials for production, including repurposing elastic headbands found at a dollar store.
Martrain now lives in the Florida Panhandle and helped with the recovery of Hurricane Michael and had previously come back to her native Baton Rouge to assist following the 2016 floods. Martrain says the calling to help one of the hardest-hit areas just comes naturally.
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Senator John Kennedy broke down some of the allocations of the two-trillion dollar emergency funding bill, outside of the money that will provide cash to most Americans. The state is expected to receive $1.8 billion. Kennedy says the legislation stacks more federal dollars onto Louisiana’s unemployment maximum benefit of $247 a week.
Cut 7 (07) “…that’s per week.”
Kennedy says some of the dollars will be put into the Small Business Administration for SBA loan up to $10 million to provide help for eight weeks. That money could ultimately end up in workers’ pockets.
Cut 8 (09) “…loan is forgivable.”
Another $500 billion will go towards what is being deemed the exchange stabilization fund for large businesses. Kennedy says $75 billion of that will go to direct loans to airlines and other businesses essential to national security.
Cut 9 (13) “…rate of interest.″
Kennedy adds there is $100 billion dollars allocated for hospitals to cover operating costs, lost profits. Plus there is $11 billion for vaccines and therapeutics.
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Governor Edwards says the rising number of new COVID-19 cases in Louisiana is alarming, and it appears the state has not yet begun to flatten the curve.
Edwards says the state is going to have to stick with the shelter in place measures as long as it takes to make them pay off because right now the situation is not improving.
Edwards says the ventilator situation is concerning because many patients already rely on ventilators for other respiratory issues…
The Governor estimates at the current pace, we could surpass the New Orleans capacity for ventilators by early April.
300 new ventilators are expected to be in New Orleans by early next week, but Edwards says assuming those ventilators do arrive…
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Saints and Pelicans owner Gayle Benson’s teams may be shut down, but she’s busy raising funds for those impacted by COVID-19 through the Community Assistance Fund.
Benson contributed one million dollars to the fund to get it up and running and says she’s been inspired by how much charity and solidarity she’s seeing in New Orleans.
Part of the fund will go towards helping gig economy workers who’ve lost their jobs in crisis.
Benson highlighted the generosity of Pels rookie sensation Zion Williamson, who volunteered to cover 30 days of Smoothie King Center worker’s salaries…
Benson is asking anyone who can to donate to charitable causes in the city during this trying time, and…