The concerning trend of higher COVID case counts and increased hospitalizations continues today with 938 new positive tests reported and 22 additional hospitalizations.
Governor Edwards has been sounding the alarm about this rise in cases noting a disproportionality high number of these new cases are 18-29-year-olds. Along with demographics their contact tracing data also shows a worrying number of people who have contracted the virus are not wearing a mask. State health officer Doctor Jimmy Guidry says there should be no doubt in people’s minds about just how effective masks are at limiting transmission.
Cut 10 (11) “…an important part.”
Guidry says a mask reduces the risk of someone sharing the virus with others through exhaled particles, and for it to have maximum effect, it needs to cover the nose, not just the mouth like another myth would lead some to believe.
State workers won’t be getting their scheduled pay raise if the budget remains in its current form. A Senate committee backed a pause in pay raises with plans to reevaluate the possibility later in the year. Evangeline Parish Senator Heather Cloud says the economy is too uncertain right now…
Opponents note the Legislature is also currently considering nearly a hundred million dollars in business tax breaks at the same time.
The House clears a resolution creating a task force to study police policy, leading to some heated moments on the floor. Prairieville Representative Tony Bacala voted for the bill but told the floor police are far more likely to be killed in the line of duty than African Americans are to be killed by police. That prompted this response from Baton Rouge Representative Ted James.