JEFFERSON PARISH, La. — Jefferson Parish is the latest local government to require masks to be worn in all government buildings, according to Parish President Cynthia Lee Sheng.
Starting Thursday, July 29, everyone who enters a Jefferson Parish government building will be required to wear a mask, whether they are vaccinated or not.
“This fourth surge of COVID-19 in our community is concerning and we must preserve the health of our employees who provide essential services to the residents of Jefferson Parish even during the most difficult times,” Lee Sheng said.
Sheng said that just a month ago the parish was averaging 20 cases per day and a positivity rate on tests of just 2 percent. She said this past week they saw 289 cases per day with a positivity rate of 14%.
She said that the parish has a vaccination rate of 53% who have initiated the vaccine and 48% fully vaccinated.
The number of COVID-19 hospitalizations in Louisiana has been rising at an alarming rate.
According to the Louisiana Department of Health, there were 1,524 people hospitalized with COVID-19 across the state on Wednesday.
COVID-19 hospitalizations have increased more than 580% since July 1, just four weeks ago. On Tuesday, the LDH announced the largest increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations since March 2020.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention changed course on some masking guidelines this week, recommending that even vaccinated people return to wearing masks indoors in parts of the U.S. where the delta variant of the coronavirus is fueling infection surges.
Citing new information about the variant's ability to spread among vaccinated people, the CDC also recommended indoor masks for all teachers, staff, students and visitors at schools nationwide, regardless of vaccination status.