The House approved the sweeping measure by a voice vote, as strong majorities of both parties lined up behind the most colossal economic relief bill in the nation’s history. It will ship payments of up to $1,200 to millions of Americans, bolster unemployment benefits, offer loans, grants and tax breaks to businesses large and small and flush billions more to states, local governments and the nation’s all but overwhelmed health care system.
News + Notes
Three St. Martin Parish residents are the first in Acadiana to lose their lives in connection to the coronavirus pandemic.
Source: Three dead in St. Martin Parish from coronavirus | Coronavirus | theadvocate.com
A Breaux Bridge man has died from complications due to coronavirus. It’s the first COVID-19 death in Acadiana.
Source: Coronavirus: Breaux Bridge man dies from COVID-19; first Acadiana death
Louisiana is planning to put more than 1,100 beds in the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center to ease the strain on New Orleans area hospitals.
The move, which will see 120 beds in the convention center by the end of this weekend, is the linchpin of a plan to boost the number of hospital beds, health care workers, ventilators, protective equipment and other resources available in Louisiana.
Pressed into unprecedented duty, schools wrestle with how to feed Louisiana’s children during a pandemic
At least 32 Louisiana school districts will no longer hand out grab-and-go food boxes to school-age children from school distribution sites, a large chunk of the state’s school-based food supply chain.
JBE Thursday update: strike team incoming
The gist: Once again, Gov. John Bel Edwards made an impassioned plea to the people of Louisiana, asking them to stay home and help #flattenthecurve. The current trajectory for the state hasn’t bent to promising numbers quite yet, with 510 more cases and 18 new deaths since yesterday. A 28% increase in case numbers.
State directs healthcare providers to postpone in-person visits, transition to telehealth
On March 21 the Louisiana Department of Health directed health care providers to transition all of its visits to telehealth, “when medically appropriate and when the same standard of care can be met as an in-person visit.”
JBE Wednesday update: Trump signs declaration, resources on the way
The gist: Late last night, President Donald Trump approved the major disaster declaration requested by Gov. John Bel Edwards. With the declaration signed, Louisiana has greater access to funds and resources that we desperately need to combat COVID-19.
Coronavirus lockdowns and high anxiety: Has teletherapy’s moment arrived?
State regs and cultural aversion warded some counselors away from teletherapy. COVID-19 is changing that.
The Louisiana lab is able to test 200 to 250 samples per day and can turn around results in about three days. So far, about 40 percent of the samples tested at the facility have come back positive for COVID-19, according to the Office of Public Health. That’s much higher than the overall positive rate for tests in the state, which stood at 16% as of Tuesday.
Source: This is how coronavirus testing works at Louisiana’s state-run lab | Coronavirus | nola.com
JBE Tuesday update: state asks Trump for major disaster declaration
The gist: Gov. John Bel Edwards sent a letter to President Donald Trump this morning requesting a major disaster declaration for the state of Louisiana. This request comes as positive cases of COVID-29 jumped overnight by 216 for a total of 1388 cases within the state. The fast-moving illness also claimed 12 more lives overnight for a total of 46 for Louisiana.
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Louisiana grew faster in the first 14 days than anywhere else in the world, data shows. That includes Spain and Italy, which have produced nightmarish scenes as hospitals have become overrun.