6:56 PM
CORONAVIRUS [h=2]Mayor Cantrell Joins Governor Edwards To Update City, State Response To COVID-19[/h]
Mayor LaToya Cantrell today announced a full range of actions the City is taking as part of its rapid response to the COVID-19 virus, joining Gov. John Bel Edwards as part of the update to residents.
There are now 26 presumptive positive cases of COVID-19 in New Orleans and the number is expected to rise. Governor Edwards, by proclamation, today announced the closing of public schools from March 16 through April 13. (The Archdiocese of New Orleans has followed suit.) Governor Edwards also instituted a limit of all public gatherings to 250 people, which includes houses of worship.
"As expected, we have had additional cases of presumptive-positive patients reported this morning, and we expect still more to come. We are seeing significant community spread of the COVID-19 virus. To limit and slow the spread of this virus, our best available tools are mitigation efforts. That means closing schools. It means cancelling public events," said
Mayor Cantrell. "Here in Orleans, we want people to use their common sense and good judgement. Enforcement will be complaint-based and reactive. We’re not going to be out counting heads; we trust our people to do what’s right for public health and public safety."
"As we have noted before, there is community spread of COVID-19 in New Orleans and there is a cluster of cases at the Lambeth House, which is both a nursing home and an assisted living facility. This is a serious situation that requires serious action," said
Governor Edwards. "We have said this before and cannot stress enough, those who are most vulnerable to COVID-19 are our elderly and those who have chronic health conditions. That is why yesterday steps were taken to limit nonessential visitation to hospitals, nursing homes and state prisons. But younger people play a role, too. While you might not have severe symptoms, you could spread the illness to those who will. I implore you to stay at home if you are even slightly sick."
[Watch the video of today’s press conference here.)
"We have to do everything we can to protect the people who are most vulnerable — the elderly and chronically ill. The best way to do this is to slow the spread of the virus through significantly reducing the interaction between people in our lives. That includes closing schools, limiting access to public facilities, and limiting social gatherings. These are all ways to slow the spread of the virus from person to person," said
New Orleans Health Department Director Dr. Jennifer Avegno. "We are not taking these measures because of the risk to the average person. Relatively healthy people who contract COVID-19 tend to have mild symptoms like the flu. But elderly people and those with chronic medical issues are at far greater risk for severe illness. Those are the people we do not want to contract this virus. All 400,000 of you have a role to play in protecting them."
In addition, public access to City Hall and other facilities will be limited. Beginning Monday, March 16, the City will restrict the number of members of the public entering City Hall at one time. Public access to the building will be allowed at the Perdido Street entrance only. Residents are encouraged to access City services online at nola.gov if applicable. City Hall is not closing, and the work of government will continue. As an employer, the City is making efforts to limit contact and reduce large groups. City employees impacted by this outbreak will be placed on Civil Leave. That is paid leave; the City is calling on and encouraging private employers to step up and to do the same – to find ways to be flexible and to support employees through this challenge.
President Donald Trump today declared a national state of emergency. As with the declarations issued this week by Mayor Cantrell and Governor Edwards, this federal action unlocks additional resources the City can access to address the outbreak.
"A Stafford Act emergency declaration provides a framework through which the City can request additional resources from the Federal government. That can come in the way of public assistance AND individual assistance. We’re immediately working with our state and federal partners to begin the process to access those resources and we’ll continue to keep you updated as that moves forward," said
Collin Arnold, Director, New Orleans Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness. "Here in New Orleans, our Emergency Operations Center remains activated, where public safety and public health liaisons are coordinating the City’s response to the ongoing situation. It’s also incredibly important that we ALL reserve emergency services for those who really need them. If you have a fever, cough, or shortness of breath, stay home and call your doctor. Only use 9-1-1 and hospitals for life-threatening emergencies."
Mayor Cantrell also thanked community partners for stepping up for the City, including the United Way of Southeast Louisiana’s $100,000 contribution to the Greater New Orleans Foundation’s Disaster Fund.
She also reminded residents to stay informed; text COVIDNOLA to 888777 to receive alerts or visit
ready.nola.gov. [h=2]Youth And Families[/h] [h=3]New Orleans Public Library (NOPL)[/h]
As of now, all NOPL locations will remain open as scheduled. On Monday, March 16, a limited number of library users may enter each location. Additional information related to this will be provided once finalized. All library programs are to be cancelled until further notice. [h=3]New Orleans Recreation Development (NORD) Commission[/h]
Rec centers and facilities will be closed for recreational use effective Monday, March 16, until further notice. Health clinics will remain open at the relevant facilities. Playgrounds and other open spaces will remain available for residents. [h=3]Schools[/h]
Mayor Cantrell remains in communication and coordination with the Orleans Parish School Board (OPSB) and NOLA Public Schools (NOLA-PS). OPSB and NOLA-PS have been working with the city’s schools for the past few weeks to prepare for this emergency. Each school will be communicating directly with families on the steps and resources that will be provided to support ongoing student learning.
NOLA-PS is providing support across schools and will be identifying additional system-wide needs. NOLA-PS in collaboration with charter school leaders and city agencies will be coordinating a prolonged effort to ensure child nutrition services are available to families during prolonged school closures. The district will share resources with families for how they may access food and nutrition services during the first week of school closure. After the first week, the district anticipates a citywide child nutrition program will be available to families.
To support these functions, OPSB passed a resolution granting NOLA-PS the authority to access $5 million for emergency needs.
Read the news release here. [h=2]Louisiana Elections[/h]
Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin today announced a postponement of the April 4 Presidential Preference Primary and Municipal Primary until June 20, as well as a postponement of the May 9 General election until July 25.
Read more here. [h=2]New Orleans Police Department[/h]
The New Orleans Police Department is urging citizens not to gather in large groups until further notice in an effort to help slow the spread of COVID-19. All permitted public events have been cancelled. However, we understand that some people will still want to celebrate various cultural events that were scheduled.
The NOPD encourages people not to block public streets or intersections; such activities create a public safety risk without proper police presence. Also, laws against unpermitted street vending will be strictly enforced to discourage crowd gatherings on public streets.
Large gatherings not only put the community at risk for spreading COVID-19, it also puts first responders at greater risk who answer frequent calls for service at a time when they are needed most. Slowing the spread of COVID-19 only works, if we all work together. [h=2]Orleans Parish Communication District[/h]
The Orleans Parish Communications District will activate Level 2 staffing at 7 p.m. Friday evening, which will increase staffing by 50 percent, ensuring OPCD meets and maintains staffing needs during this state of emergency. Throughout this event, OPCD has remained in close contact with the City of New Orleans and local public safety agencies to ensure effective management of emergency occurrences. Protocols have been put in place which allow its 9-1-1 Emergency Communications Specialists to efficiently triage calls relating to COVID-19.
NOLA-311 has also increased services during the COVID-19 outbreak. Please call 3-1-1 or 504-658-2299 if you need to report self-quarantine, sign up for the COVID-19 business impact registration, or report businesses that do not have sanitation supplies.
Please remember to call 9-1-1 for life-threatening emergencies, only. For everything else, call our non-emergency number, 504-821-2222 or 3-1-1.
3-1-1 is now logging inquires from businesses looking for information on the impact of COVID-19. You can view the registry in real time using the link below.
https://opcd.quickbase.com/db/bn8jze2s7?a=q&qid=123 [h=2]Event Permitting[/h]
In response to COVID-19, the City is limiting public gatherings in an effort to slow the rate at which COVID-19 spreads in the community. All event applications that require City staffing, especially first responders (NOPD, NOFD, EMS), through April 13, 2020 or until further notice, will be denied. Please email any questions or concerns, especially regarding payments or rescheduling, to
cecahalan@nola.gov. We appreciate your patience and support as we face this challenge together. [h=2]Sewerage & Water Board Of New Orleans[/h]
The mission of the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans (SWBNO) is first and foremost to protect the health and safety of our customers, New Orleans residents and visitors. To help slow the spread of COVID-19, we are taking the following steps:
We are closing our two customer service centers to the public, starting Monday, March 16.
We encourage our customers to use the following methods to contact us during this emergency:
- Continue to call 52-WATER (504.529.2837) to report issues, ask questions or pay bills.
- You also can reach us by fax at 504.585.2455 or by email at customerservice@swbno.org.
- To pay your SWBNO bill online, visit https://account.swbno.org/app/login.jsp. If you would like to pay over the phone, dial 52-WATER, press 2, then press 1 for automated services. You can also mail a check or money order to Cashiers Department at 625 Saint Joseph Street, New Orleans, LA 70165.
- We are waiving processing fees for customers who pay online or at one of our satellite Fidelity payment stations during this emergency.
- You can reach the Plumbing Department at 504.585.2160 or planreview@swbno.org.
- House Connections can be reached at 504.585.2164 or by fax at 504.585.2475.
Any customers who must reach us in person, such as to drop off legal documents, we will handle on a case-by-case basis. All public meetings will be on hold until further notice, including the March 18 Board meeting.
Read more here. [h=2]New Orleans City Council[/h]
All meetings of the Council (committees and regular meetings) will be suspended at least until the end of March. The Council is closing the chamber for use by other boards and commissions and is urging them to also suspend their upcoming meetings. During the Chamber closure, Council offices will remain open to serve constituents preferably via phone and email.
"The health of our people is paramount. Public health experts agree that the most effective response to a pandemic like COVID-19 is social distancing and isolation, preventing the mass gathering of people, and keeping those afflicted from spreading the disease further," said
City Council President Helena Moreno. "In partnership with the Governor and Mayor Cantrell, I am confident that our state and city's response will be robust and focused on keeping people healthy and preventing vulnerable populations from unnecessary exposure." [h=2]Boards And Commissions[/h]
Effective March 13, for 30 days or until further notice, out of an abundance of caution, all public meetings of City boards and commissions are postponed. It is important that we remain consistent in our commitment to social distancing and in synchronization with our City Council and state partners. Rayne Pestello, the point of contact for the boards and commissions, can be reached at (504) 658-4915. [h=2]Courts[/h] [h=3]Civil District Court[/h]
Civil District Court has made decision to suspend all jury trials until April 24, 2020, with further orders to follow. First and Second City Court have suspended all residential evictions until April 24, 2020, with further orders to follow. All contradictory matters shall be decided on the briefs. The court may allow oral arguments under some circumstances. This is en banc court order signed by chief Judge of Civil District Court Christopher J. Bruno. [h=3]Juvenile Court[/h]
Orleans Parish Juvenile Court will remain open and adhere to the policies adopted by the Louisiana Supreme Court. [h=3]Criminal District Court[/h]
Jurors who are serving in the month of March 2020 have been dismissed. Sections of court will schedule dockets to reduce number of people in a space at time; to the extent possible, the court will use audio or video conferencing for proceedings. The court will continue its efforts to protect the public safety in an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Visit
http://www.criminalcourt.org/. [h=2]New Orleans Fairgrounds Race Course[/h]
The New Orleans Fairgrounds Race Course will continue operations, but will be closed to the public. More information can be obtained by emailing
info@fgno.com.
https://ready.nola.gov/incident/coronavirus/mayor-cantrell-joins-governor-edwards-to-update-ci/
