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Coronavirus In Louisiana: What You Need To Know Today

WWNO - New Orleans Public Radio | By Ashley Dean

Published March 30, 2020 at 9:16 AM CDT

The latest on the spread of coronavirus in New Orleans and across Louisiana today, March 30.

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New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation Creates Relief Fund For Louisiana Musicians

5 p.m.

The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation has established a statewide relief fund for musicians affected by the coronavirus, the nonprofit announced today.

The Foundation Board has dedicated $250,000 in what the announcement described as "this first phase of giving," and will "continue to explore opportunities to support Louisiana’s music culture during this crisis."

"Performances and concerts are being cancelled and musicians are losing opportunities to support themselves and their families," Don Marshall, executive director of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and Foundation, said in a statement. "For generations, the musicians of our community have provided the soul of Louisiana. The goal is to help our musicians impacted by quarantine, disruptions of income, and other challenges, while ensuring an equitable distribution of funds."

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Abortion Clinics Resume Operations After Temporary Closure

4:35 p.m.

Two abortion clinics in Louisiana have resumed operations this week, according to New Orleans Public Radio's Rosemary Westwood.

Patients are being seen at the Women's Health Care Center in New Orleans and the Hope Medical Group for Women clinic in Shreveport.

Last week, the state's three remaining abortion clinics closed their doors because of the coronavirus outbreak.

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5 Takeaways From Gov. Edwards' Monday Press Conference

3:50 p.m.

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards held his daily press conference today in Baton Rouge. Here are the key takeaways:

Supplemental Nutrition Benefit Program (SNAP) benefits go out tomorrow.
President Trump promised Gov. Edwards that the federal government would send ventilators, but provided no specific quality or timeline.
Edwards was non-committal on whether he would use his clemency power to release inmates from jails and prisons. He said he's urging sheriffs to reduce jail populations and is talking with probation and parole officers to not send people back to jail for technical and non-violent reasons.
Edwards said he is not applying pressure to local authorities to break up large gatherings but is "imploring" that people comply.
The state set up a system to receive and distribute more PPE from the federal government.

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Drive-Through Testing Moves To A Single Site In New Orleans

3:30 p.m.

New Orleans is consolidating its drive-through test sites for the coronavirus. The move is a response to a slow-down in traffic, and the need to consolidate resources, city officials said on Monday.

The sole location for drive-through testing in the city is now at the UNO Lakefront Arena parking lot. The site will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and tests will be capped at 500 per day. As before, only those with symptoms who are 18 years of age or older can use the site.

Almost 7,000 tests have been completed at three drive-through sites in the New Orleans area, said Dr. Jennifer Avegno, director of the New Orleans Health Department.

But few results have been returned.

Read More

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In A Time When Everyone Must Stay Home, Louisiana Officials Worry About Domestic Violence

East Baton Rouge Parish Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome at a press conference on domestic violence. March 30, 2020.

3:15 p.m.

Louisiana law enforcement agencies and prosecutors say they’re concerned that the statewide stay-at-home order combined with the high stress of the coronavirus outbreak could lead to a spike in domestic violence incidents.

East Baton Rouge Parish Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome, local officials and community advocates held a press conference Friday to voice their concerns.

“Spending days or weeks with an abusive partner or family member opens the door for immense physical and emotional trauma,” Broome said. “Unfortunately, this is the reality of COVID-19, and it presents itself to many of our neighbors, families and friends.”

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Diabetes Tops The List Of Underlying Conditions In People Dead From COVID-19 In Louisiana

2 p.m.

Diabetes is the No. 1 underlying condition in people who have died of COVID-19 in Louisiana, the state health department reported Monday.

Of the 185 people who have died so far, 40 percent of them were diabetic, according to a press release from the Louisiana Department of Health.

Only 3 percent of those who have died had no underlying health conditions.

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LDH Identifies 28 Long-Term Care Facilities With COVID-19 Clusters

1:30 p.m.

There are COVID-19 clusters in 28 long-term care facilities across Louisiana, the state health department announced Monday.

A cluster is defined as two or more cases that appear to be connected.

Here's the full list:

Bayside Health
Chateau De Notre Dame
Chateau D'Ville
Chateau St. James
Colonial Nursing Home
Good Samaritan, New Orleans
Guesthouse of Slidell Nursing Home
Inspired Living Kenner
Jo Ellen Smith Living Center
Lakeview Manor Nursing Home
Lambeth House Legacy Nursing and Rehabilitation of Port Allen
Luling Living Center
Marrero Health Care Center
Montclair Park Assisted Living Shreveport
Nouveau Marc
Ollie Steele Burden Manor Nursing Home
Poydras Home
River Palms Nursing and Rehab
Riverbend Nursing and Rehab
Saint Anthony's Nursing Home
Saint James Place
Saint Joseph of Harahan
Saint Jude's Nursing Home
Saint Martin's Manor
South East Louisiana Veterans Home
The Suites at Algiers Point
Vista Shores

A release from LDH says the department will update the list daily at noon.
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Today: 485 New Cases, Thirty-Four More Deaths

Noon

Thirty-four more people have died of COVID-19 in Lousiana, according to the state health department, and the total number of known cases in the state is now 4,025 — up 485 from yesterday.

Across the state, 1,158 people have been hospitalized, and 358 of them are on ventilators.

State labs have completed 3,180 tests. Commercial labs have completed 30,853 tests.

In New Orleans, there are 1,480 known cases of COVID-19 and 87 people have died. Thirty-seven people have died in Jefferson Parish, where there are 838 known cases. In East Baton Rouge Parish, those numbers are nine and 188. You can see the data for the rest of the parishes here.

There are known COVID-19 cases in 59 of the 64 parishes. People have died from the disease in 28 parishes.

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Mayor Cantrell Will Host A COVID-19 Town Hall

9:30 a.m.

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell will host a town hall to discuss and take questions on the city's response to COVID-19 from 3 to 4 p.m. Monday.

Cantrell will be joined by Dr. Jennifer Avegno, director of the New Orleans Health Department.

The town hall will be broadcast on WBOK (1230 AM) and streamed on the mayor's Facebook page and Instagram page. Anyone with questions can call the WBOK talk line at 504-582-9420.

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Louisiana Records Another 794 Cases Over The Weekend As New Orleans Cracks Down On Gatherings

9 a.m.

Louisiana recorded another 569 COVID-19 cases on Saturday and 225 on Sunday, according to the Louisiana Department of Health. The latter is the largest increase in known cases since the first was reported March 9.

In all, 151 people have died.

In New Orleans alone, 73 people have died and there are 1,350 known cases of COVID-19. Jefferson Parish, also hard-hit, has 761 known cases and 28 people have died. In East Baton Rouge Parish, 164 people are known to be sick and seven have died.

On Saturday, New Orleans Police officers attempted to break up a funeral gather with about 100 people, including a band, in the 3000 block of Audubon Street. Organizers refused to stop the event, according to a press release, and an arrest warrant has been issued for the band leader. The release also says police plan to make more arrests as more people are identified.

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