In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards has issued multiple levels and extensions of his "Stay at Home" order. His most recent declaration extended the order until May 15th.

Today the Governor announced he will be lifting the "Stay at Home" Order Friday, and starting Phase 1 of reopening.

However the Phase 1 the Governor will be using does not match with the guidelines put forward by the White House. Instead of a two week period, the Governor intends to use a 21-day period. Which will lengthen the process of reopening. Meaning the state will likely not be fully reopened until late this year.

The first official case of COVID-19 in the state of Louisiana was confirmed on March 9th, 2020. The state recorded the first COVID-19 death on March 14th, 2020, at Touro Infirmary Hospital and Medical Center in New Orleans. Since then, that state's death total has climbed towards 2,000.

In Caddo Parish, the first case of COVID-19 was confirmed on March 11th, 2020. That patient would go on to provide some of our first in-depth experiences of dealing with the virus, and recovery.

These are only "confirmed" cases. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has already issued a report confirming that the virus was in Louisiana well before any testing was conducted.

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