By Louisiana Digital Team| May 15, 2020 at 10:39 AM CDT – Updated May 15 at 4:37 PM
SHREVEPORT, La. (KSLA) – On Thursday, May 14, Governor John Bel Edwards officially signed the declaration allowing the state to enter Phase 1 of reopening effective Friday, May 15.
The new phase loosens restrictions the governor put in place in March as a way to reduce the spread of the COVID-19.
Gov. Edwards held a media briefing about Louisiana’s response to COVID-19. As of Friday, May 15, there are 33,837 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Louisiana, 22,608 recovered patients and 2,382 deaths.
The conference began at 2:30 p.m. KSLA streamed it online and on Facebook.
The governor’s order says that residents should still stay at home as much as possible to avoid unnecessary exposure to COVID-19. People who are at a higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19 should still stay at home unless they are traveling outside of the home for essential activities, like buying food, medicine, or getting medical care.