NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Once a hot spot for coronavirus infections, Louisiana is officially easing up Friday on economically devastating business closures and public gathering restrictions that Gov. John Bel Edwards credits with slowing the spread of the virus.
With certain limitations — and excluding New Orleans, which doesn’t begin easing restrictions until Saturday — Louisiana residents can eat inside restaurants again. Indoor church services can resume. Those wanting some exercise can work out in fitness centers. Barbers and hair and nail salons can open again.
The limitations: Restaurants, gyms, churches and other service providers where customers enter and linger will have strict limits on capacity. Retail stores, many of which were already able to open under earlier restrictions, still must maintain social distancing from, and among, customers.
Ruffin Rodrigue says he’s ready to move beyond takeout service at his two Ruffino’s restaurants in Baton Rouge and Lafayette.
“It’s 5% of our business. It kept some people employed,” he said Thursday as he prepared for Friday’s eagerly awaited reopening.
He said he’s now fully staffed with around 230 employees between the two restaurants. And he’s ready to see his, and other restaurants, open again.
“I hope these restaurants get the information that they can open safely with the new laws and still make sure customers feel safe,” he said.
In March, the state was a hot spot for the virus and there were worries that cases of the disease it causes, COVID-19, would overwhelm the state health system. The number of confirmed cases still grows daily. But hospitalizations have trended steadily downward since early April and the percentage of new cases relative to the number of tests is declining. Those are among the hopeful trends leading to Friday’s easing in most of the state.
Restrictions in New Orleans last one more day, under orders from Mayor LaToya Cantrell. On Saturday, new guidelines, similar to the state’s but somewhat more restrictive, will begin. One difference between the city and state: New Orleans is keeping casinos closed. The state will allow casinos outside the city to open Monday.
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death. The vast majority of people recover.
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Follow AP coverage of the pandemic at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak
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May 15, 2020 at 01:41PM
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Eat-in eateries return as Louisiana eases restrictions - Associated Press
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