COVID cases are surging in Louisiana, with 2,111 confirmed new cases being reported today by the Louisiana Department of Health. Governor John Bel Edwards is scheduled to speak at 230 on the rising case count, and address a White House Coronavirus Task Force report for the state that has us in the red for overall case growth.
Due to this the state is asking people not to gather outside their household for Thanksgiving. Assistant State Health Officer Dr. Joe Kanter says that means even if you’ve received a negative rapid test.
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That task force report included language that calls for “significant behavior change” amongst Louisiana residents, mandatory mask usage in public, and a “significant reduction in capacity” for businesses. It notes half of all parishes have high, uncontrolled levels of community spread. The state has also more than doubled the number of new cases it has per 100,000 residents this week as compared to last week.
Senator Bill Cassidy becomes the first member of the Louisiana Republican Congressional Delegation to publicly acknowledge President-elect Joe Biden’s win. ULM Poli Sci Professor Joshua Stockley says as more states certify their results and Biden’s electoral vote lead grows it’s only a manner of days, or at most weeks before most of the rest of the delegation joins Cassidy.
Biden appears set for 306 electoral votes.
Gas prices continue to stay under two dollars across the state, with the average for a gallon in Louisiana at just 1.84. AAA spokesperson Don Redman expects gas prices to continue to drop but says predicting the price heading into next spring could be tough.