Louisiana Gets Major Disaster Declaration To Counter Coronavirus Crisis

A federal disaster declaration was granted by President Trump in the state of Louisiana Tuesday evening. He also ordered supplement recovery assistance to the efforts in the COVID-19 affected areas.

On Tuesday, the governor of Louisiana warned that the New Orleans area could run out of hospital beds by early April and asked the White House to declare a major disaster in the state. This move would greatly help to free up more direct federal aid in order to cope with the increasing coronavirus outbreak.

Gov. John Bel Edwards made the request to President Donald Trump after the confirmed cases in the Louisiana state increased to 1,400. This development came to light 2 weeks after the state’s first positive test. According to the statistics released by the state’s health department, a total number of forty-six Louisiana residents have lost their lives to COVID-19.

A statewide “stay at home” order was issued by Edwards that began on Monday evening for the 4.6 million Louisiana residents, US News reported.

“The response to the spread of COVID-19 has overwhelmed the capabilities of state and local resources. I have determined that this incident is of such severity and magnitude that effective response is beyond the capabilities of state and local governments,” read the democratic governor’s letter to the Trump administration.

The state of Louisiana has the third-highest number of confirmed coronavirus cases per capita, according to Edwards. The Trump administration has granted federal disaster declarations for Washington, California, and New York, as per the Louisiana Governor’s office.

“Until we see the curve flattening and we can see daylight at the end of this tunnel, it’s hard for me to pick a date on the calendar and say, ‘By this date, we believe we’re going to be out on the other side. ’Until we tackle the medical challenges in front of us, it is very difficult for me to see the economy coming back,” responded Edwards to the president’s speech about easing restrictions that have hammered the nation’s economy.

Edwards has further banned gatherings of over 10 people, limited restaurants to takeout and delivery, and ordered nonessential businesses to close. He has also asked the residents to voluntarily stay at home unless they need to carry out an urgent task.