HOUSTON, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards on Tuesday said the state's current Phase 2 restrictions will be extended for three more weeks to rein the spread of COVID-19.
According to an announcement, the current restrictions, including a ban on in-person consumption at bars and statewide mask mandate, will continue to be in effect until the end of August.
"The data shows that over the past several days we are beginning to move in the right direction. That gives me hope and encouragement," said Edwards. "But I do want to caution everybody that it is still too early to say we have changed the trajectory in a way that's going to be sustained."
Edwards said the statewide mask mandate and bar closure order have helped mitigate the spread of the pandemic. His current executive order is set to expire this Friday.
Louisiana has experienced a recent plateauing of cases and hospitalizations, following an alarming jump in both metrics over the past month, local media reported.
Figures from Louisiana Department of Health showed that so far the southern state reported almost 125,000 COVID-19 cases, with nearly 4,000 deaths. Enditem
