A state lawmaker is advocating for swifter moves toward reopening as Louisiana's state of emergency is waning.
State Sen. Sharon Hewitt (R-Slidell) says Louisiana has met important safety goals and many areas should have been opened up at the beginning of May.
“The original goal was to isolate so that we don’t exceed hospital capacity," Hewitt said. "We have done that. We have lots and lots of hospital beds available. We have 80% of ventilators available.”
Hewitt is confident that Louisiana can now safely follow the Trump administration’s opening guidelines and allow people in parts of the state with minimal COVID-19 cases to “put on masks and go back to work,” she says.
“There’s smart guidelines out there that make common sense. It’s time to get the healthier people moving,” Hewitt told the Louisiana Record.
“No one’s trying to rush the most vulnerable citizens out the door," she said. "Everyone recognizes that there are those we need to continue to protect. But those that are younger and healthier, we need to get them working and opening up their businesses,” she said
Since the shutdown began, more than 350,000 have lost their jobs in the state. Of the state’s eligible workforce 18.5% are currently out of work. A long-term statewide, universal shutdown is not sustainable, Hewitt said.
Hewitt added that she has reviewed the data and is confident that Louisiana is ready to get back to business.
“The governor has told us that we have the fifth highest testing per capita in the country. He has commitments from the President to have 200,00 testing kits available this month. That’s about what we are testing,” she said. “That’s pretty much right on track.”
She also said that the governor has hired 200 contact tracers, with the goal of eventually having 750 of them.
“We have to protect lives and we have to protect livelihoods at the same time,” she said.
Hewitt has an online petition for people who want the governor to move faster with reopening plans at the website OpenLANow.com. As of last week, 23,000 people have signed the petition. Hewitt faults the Bel Edwards administration for leaving people “uncertain” about what happens next.
“People are trying to figure out how they can pay their bills and provide for their families,” she said.
For example, Hewitt said the owner of a restaurant she frequents is fearful that he cannot survive if he can only seat customers at 25% of his tables once the emergency shutdown is lifted.
“You hear that from a lot of the restaurants. People want a plan with certainty. They want to know what the rules are. So far, the governor has not done a good job of explaining that,” Hewitt said.
Hewitt said uncertainty over how reopening will work has created a lot of stress in her community.
“We need full understanding of what the decision criteria is going to be and what the goal is," she said.