Louisiana stay-at-home order extended through May 15 as neighboring states start reopening

Louisiana residents will have to stay at home a bit longer than people in neighboring states.

On Monday, Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat, announced that he would be extending the state's stay-at-home order until May 15.

"While this is not the announcement I want to make, I am hopeful, and all of Louisiana should be hopeful, that we will enter into the next phase of reopening soon, in mid-May," he said. "I am anxious to get all areas of our economy reopened, but if we accelerate too quickly, we may have to slam on the brakes. That will be bad for public health and for businesses, bad for our people and bad for our state."

Under the new order, businesses that had previously been ordered to close will be allowed to reopen for curbside delivery, including malls. Restaurants will also be allowed to have diners eat takeout on outdoor furniture, but are still barred from table services for those customers.

Edwards also ordered all employees who have contact with customers to wear face masks while on the job. He explained, "Wearing cloth masks or protective face coverings is part of the new normal."

"Wearing a mask is being a good neighbor, and in Louisiana, we pride ourselves on being good neighbors," he added. "Your mask protects me and other people, and my mask protects you."

As Louisiana extends its stay-at-home order, neighboring Gov. Greg Abbott announced that the stay-at-home order in Texas will expire on Thursday, and most businesses will be allowed to reopen at 25% capacity. Bars, gyms, and hair salons will remain closed until the second phase of reopening.

The two states have had a similar number of confirmed COVID-19 cases, but Louisiana, with its smaller population, has had more related deaths. As of Monday, Texas had 25,317 confirmed cases and 666 related deaths, while Louisiana had 27,068 confirmed cases and 1,740 related deaths.

Louisiana extends stay-at-home order until May 15