Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser is encouraging Louisiana residents to explore their state over the holiday weekend. Nungesser says the state is actively working now at luring tourists for the when it is safe for them to return as last year, they left behind $1.9 billion in tax revenue.
Louisiana’s state parks have canceled all out of state bookings through phase one and will be relying on locals to fill in some of the lost revenue.
If you’re planning on traveling just know the statewide average for a gallon of gas sits at 1.63 heading into Memorial Day weekend. Despite the low price Fuel Analyst Don Redman does not expect the roads to be packed as the list of travel destinations is limited right now.
If you are driving into Texas or Mississippi the average for a gallon there is actually a few cents lower, while those headed to Florida will be greeted by prices at 1.87 a gallon.
The Crisis Counseling Text Line is now active in Louisiana for residents who need help coping with the mental stress of the pandemic. GOHSEP Preparedness Section Chief Rubby Douglas says all you have to do is text reach out in all caps, one word to 741-741 to get help 24 hours a day.
The money to run the text line comes from the feds.
The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 is down to 867. Governor John Bel Edwards says the hospitalization rate for this disease is at its lowest level since the end of March. Edwards says the state has also been supplied with thousands of viles of Remdesivir, a drug known to reduce the hospital stay of COVID-19 patients