Governor John Bel Edwards is considering the implementations of new White House coronavirus guidelines. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
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Senator Kennedy says students need to be allowed to return to classrooms once the fall semester begins. Matt Doyle spoke with him earlier…
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Governor John Bel Edwards says he will consider the implementation of new White House COVID-19 guidelines. The recommendations call for red zone states like Louisiana to close gyms, put tighter restrictions on indoor dining capacity to 25%, and limit gatherings to 10 people.
Louisiana is one of 18 states in the red zone for cases and one of 11 in the red zone for testing positivity. Edwards feels the state already is covering the most prioritized spread mitigation efforts from the CDC and White House Coronavirus Task Force.
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Edwards has closely followed the White House guidance, despite push back from Republicans at the state level over restrictions. Edwards says any new spread mitigation mandates will come on the next proclamation.
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While the federal government requires COVID tests to be free some patients are finding themselves hit with additional costs like lab fees when they get tested in certain facilities. Ochsner CEO Warner Thomas says all community testing sites are completely free of any charges, but in their urgent cares or if you get tested in the ER…
And if you are uninsured and end up in the ER due to COVID-19?
Testing at Ochsner ERs and Urgent Cares is being restricted to symptomatic patients. Thomas says Non-symptomatic patients can be tested at community testing sites.
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Senator John Kennedy pushes school districts to resume in-person education once the fall semester begins.
Kennedy says the rewards of continuing kids’ social and academic development outweigh the risks of having them more exposed to the virus and name-checked a series of other countries that have returned to the classroom.
Kennedy says science backs up his claim that it’s safe to get kids back into class. He says young people don’t often suffer fatal outcomes when they develop COVID-19.
The Louisiana Federation of Teachers voiced concern that there isn’t enough healthcare funding for schools to safely reopen right now and urged the Congressional Delegation to approve the HEROES Act to remedy that problem. Kennedy says there’s no way the House crafted bill passes.
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People in need of a hospital procedure can be admitted without fearing the coronavirus according to New Orleans Health Director Dr. Jennifer Avengo. Dr. Avengo says she does not want anyone to defer a medical procedure they desperately need.
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Avengo says healthcare providers have found better ways of balancing the intake of patients, but there is a danger that comes with hospitals getting full again.
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Avengo says it is still vitally important to hospitals that spread mitigation efforts are strictly followed by the public when outside of the home.