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BATON ROUGE – Governor John Bel Edwards recently extended the Statewide Stay at Home Order for an additional two weeks, until May 15, 2020. He stated that the state does not meet the criteria of Phase One reopening.

The Stay At Home Order will have three relatively small changes taking effect on May 1:

• Malls must remain closed, but stores can offer curbside pickup.
• Restaurants with outdoor areas to eat can allow patrons to eat after they pick up food. No table service is allowed, and patrons must sit be six feet apart.
• Public-facing employees must wear face coverings.

Edwards plans to begin phase one of a gradual reopening of the state’s economy after the revised Stay at Home order expires on May 15.

St. John Parish President Jaclyn Hotard asks residents to follow the stay at home order as instructed by the governor and ensure all precautions against COVID-19 including wearing face masks, social distancing and sanitizing are taken.

Face mask distributions began this week in St. John the Baptist Parish following a generous donation from Hanes Clothing Company.

Free reusable/washable cloth face masks will be distributed from 1 to 3 p.m. Thursday, April 30, at the West St. John High School parking lot located at 480 Highway 3127 in Edgard. Masks will also be distributed from 4 to 5 p.m. Thursday at the Pleasure Bend Fire Station, located at 1200 Highway 643 in Vacherie.

Each car will be given one pack containing five masks. Drive-thru distribution will continue until supplies run out.

Residents are reminded that wearing a mask does not take the place of social distancing and sanitizing precautions.

“I want to thank Hanes for the generous donation as we try to do everything possible to combat COVID-19 and stop the spread in our community,” said President Hotard. “Masks will play a vital role in flattening the curve and ensuring our residents remain safe as we proceed with the new normal.”

St. John Parish has reported 758 cases of COVID-19 and 66 deaths as of the Tuesday update from the Louisiana Department of Health. Across the state, there have been 27,286 cases, 1,758 deaths and 17,303 still presumed to have recovered.