CONTACT INFO:
Courthouse Building
300 Iberia Street, Suite 400
New Iberia, LA 70560-4543

Phone: 337-365-8246

WHEREAS, pursuanl to the Louisiana Homeland Securicy and Emergency Assistance and Disaster Act, La. R.S. 29:721 , et seq.. the Governor declared a publ ic health emergency on March I I , 2020 in Proclamation Number 25 JBE 2020 in response to the threat posed by COVID-19:

WHEREAS, pursuant to the Louisiana Homeland Security and Emergency Assistance and Disaster Act, La. R.S. 29:721, et ,·eq.. on March 1 1, 2020 in Proclamation Number 25 JBE 2020, the Governor declared that a statewide public health emergency existed in the State of Louisiana because of COVID-19 and expressly empowered the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness and the Secretary of the Department of Health and/or the State Health Officer to take all actions authorized under state law;

WHEREAS, on March 13, 2020, in Proclamation Number 27 JBE 2020, the Governor supplemented the measures taken in his declaration of a Public Health Emergency with additional restrictions and suspensions of deadlines and regulations in order to protect the health and safety of the public because of COVID-19;

WHEREAS, on March 22, 2020, in Proclamation Number 33 JBE 2020, the Governor issued a Stay at Home order that, among other things, ordered the people of Louisiana to stay at their homes unless taking essential trips or to travel to or from a place of employment, ordered some non-essential businesses to be closed, and placed limitations on other businesses that were allowed to remain open;

WHEREAS, this order was extended to April 30, 2020 in Proclamation Number 41 JBE 2020 and was further extended until May 15, 2020 in Proclamation Number 52 JBE 2020;

WHEREAS, since the time of the original Stay at Home order, the number of new COVID-19 cases and COVID-related hospitalizations in Louisiana have decreased, with the peak of hospitalizations occurring on or near April 13, 2020;

WHEREAS, on April 16, 2020, the White House Coronavirus Task Force issued guidelines entitled "Opening Up America Again" that provided guidance to the states on how various parts of the economy could be re-opened;

WHEREAS, this guidance calls for the re-opening to occur in three phases, with the criteria for movement into the first phase being a 14-day downward trajectory in influenza-like and COVID-like symptoms, a 14-day downward trajectory in cases or positive tests as a percent of total tests, and the ability for hospitals to treat all patients without crisis care;

WHEREAS, the criteria also calls for the state to have a robust testing program in place, including testing for at-risk healthcare workers ;

WHEREAS, the State of Louisiana is on track to meet the requirements to move safely into Phase I

of recovery on Friday, May 15, 2020;

WHEREAS, this gradual re-opening is based upon the advice and expertise of medical experts at the Louisiana Department of Health;

WHEREAS, should there be an increase in the number of confirmed COVID cases or should the number of COVID related hospitalizations threaten the ability of the health care system to properly respond, it may be necessary to go back to the full restrictions

To View Proclamation Click here: