BATON ROUGE, La. — Governor John Bel Edwards has eased many of the restrictions that the state was previously under for his new order starting Wednesday, March 31. Here is what is allowed and under what limitations, directly from his order.
PHASE 3 ORDER
BUSINESSES AND ORGANIZATIONAL MITIGATION MEASURES
1) Restaurants, Cafes, and Coffee Shops
a) All restaurants, cafes, and coffee shops shall be allowed to provide dine-in service under the following conditions:
i) Waiting areas shall be closed. Members of the public should be required to make reservations or to wait outside, while maintaining social distancing, or in vehicles.
ii) All buffets or other common food stations shall remain closed for self-service. However, restaurants that operate buffet-style may provide dine-in service if a restaurant employee is stationed at the buffet to serve dine-in customers.
b) Any business operating pursuant to this Paragraph is encouraged to follow the applicable guidance from the State Fire Marshal published at opensafely.la.gov and the Louisiana Department of Health with regard to sanitization and disinfection.
2) Beauty Shops, Salons, and Barber Shops
All beauty shops, salons, and barber shops shall be allowed to operate under the following conditions:
a) Waiting areas shall be closed. Members of the public should be required to make reservations or to wait outside, while maintaining social distancing, or in vehicles.
b) Any business operating pursuant to this Paragraph is encouraged to follow the applicable guidance from the State Fire Marshal published at opensafely.la.gov and their applicable regulatory board or agency with regard to sanitization and disinfection.
3) Shopping Malls
All shopping malls shall be allowed to operate under the· following conditions:
a) Mall food courts may open in line with the restaurant guidance contained in Paragraph ( l) of this Subsection and the restaurant guidance published at opensafely.la.gov.
b) Any establishment in operation is encouraged to follow guidance from the Louisiana Department of Health with regard to sanitization and disinfection.
4) Casinos, Racetracks, and Video Poker Establishments
a) Lobbies or other areas where members of the public may congregate (except for bathrooms) shall be closed to the public. Members of the public should be required to wait outside, while maintaining social distancing, or in vehicles.
5) Gyms and fitness centers
a) Waiting rooms, lobbies, or other areas where members of the public may congregate (except for bathrooms) shall be closed to the public. Members of the public should be required to wait outside, while maintaining social distancing, or in vehicles.
b) Any business operating pursuant to this Paragraph is encouraged to follow the applicable guidance from the State Fire Marshal published at opensafely.la.gov and the Louisiana Department of Health with regard to sanitization and disinfection.
6) Athletic events
a) No stadium, sports complex, or arena hosting any athletic event, whether amateur or professional, shall exceed 50% of the total occupancy, while adhering to the maximum social distancing possible between spectators, as determined by the State Fire Marshal.
b) Alcohol sales shall be permitted at athletic events under the following conditions:
i) All patrons purchasing an alcoholic beverage shall be required to return to their ticketed seats for consumption and shall not be allowed to stand or congregate in open areas to consume alcohol.
ii) Crowd managers and signage shall be utilized to instruct patrons that alcoholic beverages shall be consumed at the patron's ticketed seat and shall not occur while standing or congregating in open areas.
iii) Alcohol shall not be sold to a patron who is not wearing a face covering.
iv) The stadium, sports complex, or arena shall further comply with any guidance or regulations from the State Fire Marshal or the Commissioner of Alcohol and Tobacco Control.
v) This provision does not supersede any local governmental restrictions regarding alcohol sales at athletic events.
c) Any event held pursuant to this Paragraph is encouraged to follow the applicable guidance from the State Fire Marshal published at opensafelv.la.gov and the Louisiana Department of Health with regard to social distancing, sanitization, and disinfection.
d) Face coverings are required for all attendees and spectators.
7) Event centers and reception halls
a) No establishment shall exceed 50% of the total occupancy or 500 people, whichever is less, as determined by the State Fire Marshal. Events held pursuant to this Paragraph shall follow the restaurant guidance issued by the State Fire Marshal published at opensafely.la.gov. Specifically, patrons at such events shall be seated and socially distanced, and shall not congregate in groups outside of immediate household members.
b) Waiting rooms, lobbies, or other areas where members of the public may congregate (except for bathrooms) shall be closed to the public. Members of the public should be required to wait outside, while maintaining social distancing, or in vehicles.
c) Any business operating pursuant to this Paragraph shall follow the applicable guidance from the State Fire Marshal published at opensafely.la.llov and the Louisiana Department of Health with regard to sanitization and disinfection.
8) Bars
a) All patrons shall be seated at tables. Walk-up service at the bar may resume, however patrons shall return to their table for consumption.
b) All seating of patrons shall be socially distanced.
c) No patron shall be allowed on premises unless of the legal age to consume alcoholic beverages.
d) Any businesses operating pursuant to this Paragraph shall follow the applicable guidance from the State Fire Marshal published at opensafely.la.gov, the Commissioner of Alcohol and Tobacco Control, and the Louisiana Department of Health with regard to sanitization and disinfection.
9) Conventions and conferences
a) No establishment shall exceed 50% of the total occupancy, while adhering to social distancing between members of the public, as determined by the State Fire Marshal.
b) Waiting rooms, lobbies, or other areas where members of the public may congregate (except for bathrooms) shall be closed to the public. Members of the public should be required to wait outside, while maintaining social distancing, or in vehicles.
c) Any business operating pursuant to this Paragraph must have a plan approved by the State Fire Marshal and shall follow the applicable guidance from the State Fire Marshal published at opensafely.la.gov and the Louisiana Department of Health with regard to sanitization and disinfection.
10) All other businesses or organizations shall be allowed to continue operations, subject to the following conditions:
a) Waiting rooms, lobbies, or other areas where members of the public may congregate ( except for bathrooms) shall be closed to the public. Members of the public should be required to wait outside, while maintaining social distancing, or in vehicles.
b) Any business operating pursuant to this Paragraph is encouraged to follow the applicable guidance from the State Fire Marshal published at opensafely.la.gov and the Louisiana Department of Health with regard to sanitization and disinfection.
C) To further prevent the spread ofCOVID-19, crowd sizes shall be limited to no more than a maximum of 500 people in any single indoor space at the same time. Crowd sizes are limited to no more than 50% capacity as set by the State Fire Marshal any single outdoor space where individuals will be in close proximity to one another and unable to maintain strict social distancing of six feet apart from individuals who are not immediate household members. This crowd size limitation shall not apply to those businesses deemed essential as defined by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, or religious services held by churches and other faith-based organizations. All fairs and festivals shall submit a plan for approval to the State Fire Marshal.
FACE COVERING ORDER
A) Every individual in Louisiana shall wear a face covering over the nose and mouth when inside a commercial establishment or any other building or space open to the public, whether indoor or outdoor. This shall include public or commercial modes of transportation. This order shall apply statewide.
8) This requirement does not apply to the following:
1) Any individual who will not come in contact with any other individual (outside of their immediate household members) or who will be able to maintain strict social distancing of six feet apart from any other individual (outside of their immediate household members);
2) Any child under the age of eight, however all children between the ages of two and seven years old are strongly encouraged to wear a face covering in accordance with Subsection (A) of this Section;
3) Any individual with a medical condition that prevents the wearing of a face covering;
4) Any individual who is consuming food or drinks;
5) Any individual seeking to communicate with someone who has or is suspected of having a communication disorder;
6) Any individual giving a speech for broadcast or to an audience;
7) Any individual temporarily removing his or her face covering for identification purposes; and
8) Any athlete participating in organized athletic activities.