Gov. John Bel Edwards has extended the COVID Public Health Emergency Order through March 16th. The order differs from previous orders, because it has no mitigation measure requirements.

“While we remain in an Omicron-fueled surge, we are definitely on the down swing,” the governor said. “There is a lot of COVID out there in Louisiana, and fortunately we have many more tools available to us now to prevent severe illness and death including safe and effective vaccines, booster doses, therapeutic interventions, and better quality masks. While my order does not include any required mitigation measures, it is very important that people continue to take into account their own personal risk of serious illness if they get COVID, including if they are immunocompromised, have comorbid health conditions or are unvaccinated.”

Edwards noted he does not want to return to stricter mitigation measures, and said he wanted to see more Louisiana residents get vaccinated.

“I hope we never go back to the kind of strict mitigation measures needed before the vaccines,” Edwards said. “I also pray each day that more Louisianans will go sleeves up against COVID and get their vaccines and booster doses, because we know these save lives.”

District 30 State Rep. Charles Owen expressed his disagreement with the continuation of the governor’s order.  “Even though it ‘feels’ like the pandemic is waning, Gov. John Bel Edwards refuses to end his emergency declaration, in effect, holding the population of the state of Louisiana hostage through the misapplication of a law that was never intended to do what he has done now for two years,” Owen said in a statement. “Most of us throughout Louisiana have moved on, and many don’t even know it’s in effect. But he does. He just can’t let it go.”

Owen also expressed he believed the extension of the order was a misuse of the governor’s authority, and infringed on the freedom of Louisiana residents. Owens called on other legislators to start a petition to end the order.

“I’ll say here what I’ve said many times before:  If 52 of my legislative colleagues will join me, I’ll gladly sign a petition to end this insane exercise of power,” Owen said. “It is antithetical to a free society to have one man maintain executive rule for this long. This is wrong. I am against it.”

Although the order is set to expire on March 16, Edwards could choose to end it prior to the official expiration.