While Louisiana’s COVID-19 case count appears to be leveling off, Governor John Bel Edwards Tuesday warned of taking slightly better numbers to mean infection rates are diminishing. The Louisiana Department of Health posted 1,417 additional Coronavirus cases since Monday, 400 less than the 1,857 new cases posted the day before.
WAITING IN LINE – A line of vehicles stretched from the St. Martinville City Hall’s drive-thru window along Catfish Alley when the office opened on April 3. With City Hall closed to walk in customers and employees on duty for limited hours on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, more residents are resorting to the drive-thru to pay bills and conduct other business.
(Henri C. BIenvenu)
The first round of monthly meetings of both St. Martin Parish and St. Martinville councils were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Officials are looking into finding a safe way to satisfy open meeting laws and home rule charter requirements during the current crisis.
Louisiana’s COVID-19 case count soared by nearly 2,000 Monday as an avalanche of test results flooded in. The state posted 1,857 new cases and 35 more deaths since Sunday. The trajectory of Louisiana’s death count appears to have leveled off, now at 512 reported deaths Monday, but, “It’s going to be the hardest, saddest week for Americans,” warns U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams, citing total American deaths to top 10,000 this week. Louisiana continues to lead in per capita death rate with St. John the Baptist Parish at nearly 30 per 100,000 residents. Orleans Parish has 25.
On the day New York Mayor Bill DeBlasio called for a national draft of retired doctors and medical workers to be rushed to New York City, Louisiana COVID-19 cases broke above 10,000 to 10,297 cases. That's up by 1,147 new cases but that number represents half the increase seen Thursday which set a record 2,726 new cases. Governor John Bel Edwards said in his Friday press conference that's due in large part because Louisiana now ranks second in the nation for testing per capita.
Magnolia Park Closed – Barricades, like these at Magnolia Park in St. Martinville, have gone up at the entrances of St. Martin Parish parks. A rapid increase in COVID-19 cases, with 20 cases diagnosed and three deaths as of Tuesday, March 31, sealed the decision by President Chester Cedars to close the parks. (Karl Jeter)
Local police and the St. Martin Sheriff’s Office report that residents are generally following Governor John Bel Edwards’ stay-at-home order. Edwards issued the order, effective as of 5 p.m. on March 23, in response to a sharp increase in COVID-19 cases in Louisiana.
Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Ginny Higgins told the Teche News that no complaints about public gatherings have been received by the office.
P.O. Box 69
St. Martinville, LA 70582
Phone: 337-394-6232
Fax: 337-394-7511