Gov. Edwards Ends Mask Mandate In Most Places

By JC Canicosa, Louisiana Illuminator

April 27, 2021

Beginning Wednesday, Louisiana’s private businesses — including bars, restaurants and theaters — and its local governments can choose whether to require masks for their customers and residents, Gov. John Bel Edwards announced Tuesday during a press conference. Masks are still required for everyone on public transit, at schools and universities, and in health care facilities.

Outdoor events will also no longer have size restrictions. All indoor events and facilities can have up to 75 percent capacity with social distancing or 100 percent capacity if masks are required. Audience members of live music shows must be seated and 10 feet from the stage.

“We are doing much better overall,” Edwards said. “I believe now is the time to lift the mandate and continue to encourage people to mask, especially if they’re unvaccinated or vulnerable.”

The statewide mask mandate was enacted in July 2020 when Louisiana had a 12.8 percent positivity rate and 1,308 hospitalized COVID-19 patients. On Tuesday, Louisiana had a 3.5 percent positivity rate and 308 hospitalized COVID-19 patients. About 26 percent of Louisianians are fully vaccinated, including about two-thirds of Louisianians 65 or older.

“It’s not an end to mask wearing. It’s not an end to recommendations that people wear masks… but I think it is a reflection of where we are at this stage of the pandemic,” the governor said.

The Louisiana Illuminator is an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization driven by its mission to cast light on how decisions are made in Baton Rouge and how they affect the lives of everyday Louisianians, particularly those who are poor or otherwise marginalized.