MASKS REQUIRED IN BATON ROUGE - Louisiana is seeing its largest daily coronavirus case spike since April, during the height of the state’s outbreak. Nearly 2,100 new cases of the COVID-19 disease caused by the coronavirus were confirmed over the last day in Louisiana residents, and hospitalizations continued to tick upward. The trend is worrying public health experts that Louisiana’s once successful efforts to slow infections are being undermined by a complacent public ignoring recommended precautions. Yesterday at Governor John Bel Edwards’ Covid-19 update, Baton Rouge mayor Sharon Weston Broome announced she signed an executive order that requires people to wear face coverings when they are inside a business in that city.
"We understand that masks don't stop the spread of the virus but they do reduce the risk of spreading it to those around us, " Broome said. "And so business owners, community leaders should implement a no mask, no service policy."
New Orleans already has a mask requirement for nearly all activities in the city. While mask-wearing is not an enforceable order for individuals statewide, Governor Edwards did say he would increase enforcement on businesses that don’t comply with Phase 2 reopening restrictions.
" We don't want to close more businesses and so-forth if we can avoid it," Edwards explained. "But we also don't want a few bad-actors, people who are just not honoring the restrictions that are in place."
Mayor Broome’s executive order for wearing masks in Baton Rouge will be effective from noon Friday through Aug. 3 and will be re-evaluated by then. Those who don’t comply could be fined.
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