Amid a surge in COVID-19 cases in Louisiana, Gov. John Bel Edwards on Monday reinstated an indoor mask mandate, which requires people to wear masks in schools, churches and any other public spaces. 

“Today, I am reinstating Louisiana’s statewide mask mandate indoors for all people ages 5 & up as COVID-19 cases & hospitalisations continue to rise across Louisiana, threatening the ability of hospitals to deliver care,” the Democratic governor tweeted.

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At a press briefing, he said, “This is not something that I wanted to do, but Louisiana is not in the place where I want it to be or need it to be and public health and safety compelled this action.”

“I cannot in good conscience sit by while our hospitals lose the capacity to deliver lifesaving care to COVID patients and non-COVID patients alike.”

He said that the mandate is also applicable to those in grades K-12.

“It’s vitally important that we protect our children, especially those who are too young to be vaccinated,” the governor said.

The mandate will remain in place until at least September 1 and “will be extended if necessary,” Edwards said. 

The Delta variant of coronavirus is being blamed for the recent surge in COVID cases in the United States.

Federal data shows that Louisiana has the highest rate of fresh cases in the US, with over 600 new cases per 100,000 residents.

Not just Louisiana, health officials from eight Bay Area counties in California, including San Francisco and the city of Berkeley, announced on Monday they will be reinstating indoor mask mandate.

“While there may be slight differences between each jurisdictions’ orders issued today, they all have one thing in common. A simple step, wearing a mask indoors to provide one more layer of protection for everyone,” Dr. Chris Farnitano, the health officer for Contra Costa County, said at a news conference.