In a tweet to his followers, Saints quarterback Drew Brees encouraged everyone to band together and support each other during the Coronavirus outbreak that has so far infected over 350 people in Orleans Parish and over 55o statewide. The virus has resulted in 16 deaths statewide, 12 of which are from Orleans Parish.
Brees, who recently renewed his contract signing a two year deal with the New Orleans Saints informed followers that he and his wife will announce ongoing relief efforts shortly.
Assessing the need right now in New Orleans is a daunting task. Everyone is affected in one way or another. Let’s all band together to help and support eachother. Brittany & I will be making an announcement soon as to the ongoing relief efforts.
— Drew Brees (@drewbrees) March 21, 2020
Based on the ongoing trajectory, Governor John Bel Edwards estimates the state will exceed its capacity to treat patients in less than a week and has asked for help from the Federal government.
In local news, Mayor Latoya Cantrell has announced a stay at home mandate, which includes additional reinforcements to previous guidance and recommendations. Citizens will still be able to leave the house for essentials such as food, jobs, doctor appointments, pharmacy, medical assistance and more. The mayor as also announced expanded testing and additional drive-thru testing sites which will allow anyone with symptoms to get testing until capacity is reached. Additional guidance from the Mayor’s office can be found on the city’s website, Nola Ready.
Scott Ploof is Publisher and CEO of Big Easy Magazine.
