Feds Commit to Providing 200,000 Tests Per Month to Louisiana
Gov. John Bel Edwards is in Washington, D.C. today (April 29) to meet with President Donald Trump to discuss Louisiana’s ongoing response to the COVID-19 outbreak. Gov. Edwards is one of a handful of governors invited to meet one-on-one with the President.
According to reports, the meeting was fruitful, with federal government committing to provide the state with 200,000 tests per month, a move that would help Louisiana ramp up the testing it needs to safely begin to reopen the economy when the current stay-at-home order is lifted.
In its daily update, the Louisiana Department of Health reported 27,660 cases of COVID-19 and just over 1,800 deaths. In New Orleans, the total number of cases stands at 6,420–an increase of 40 from the previous day, while deaths have risen by six to 410.
Currently, Louisiana has the fifth-highest per capita rate of cases in the United States. In a move that ostensibly disappointed many business owners across the state, Gov. Edwards announced earlier this week that he has extended the state’s stay-at-home order until May 15.
“I am appreciative of the President’s attention to Louisiana and his support for our people during this difficult time for our state,” Gov. Edwards said in a printed statement. “Brighter days are ahead for Louisiana and by working together with our federal partners, I know we will get through this.”
The Governor also thanked federal leaders for the way the “federal government has stepped up to help Louisiana as we have navigated the past few months, from millions of pieces of PPE, hundreds of ventilators, support for more than 1,000 members of the National Guard, field hospitals and Public Health Service teams, early support of mobile testing sites and access to federal health officials and other experts as we have made many critical, life-saving decisions for Louisianans.”
