Louisiana reported 827 more coronavirus cases on Thursday, but Gov. John Bel Edwards cautioned that a large portion of those cases are not new.
Edwards explained that a large lab just recently started reporting coronavirus test results, accounting for 609 cases, some dating back as far as March.
This means 218 of the 827 new cases came from the rest of the regular reporting across the state.
The state similarly reported a larger-than-normal number of newly reported coronavirus cases on Wednesday, explaining that about half of those came from labs that were new to reporting.
At noon Thursday, the Lousiana Department of Health reported 33,489 confirmed cases of COVID-1) in the state.
A total of 2,351 people have died of the disease in Louisiana. This includes 36 more deaths than were reported on Wednesday.
Eight new cases ere confirmed in Acadia Parish since Wednesday, bringing the total number of COVID-19 cases here to 158. Eleven people have died of the disease in Acadia.
At Wednesday’s press briefing, it was announced that 18 of 21 Louisiana State Parks will be opening this weekend.
The parks will be open to Louisiana residents only and those staying three nights can receive a fourth night free by using the promo code: WelcomeBack .
As Louisiana enters Phase One of the plan for reopening, Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser announced that, in addition to the state parks, all 18 State Historic Sites, and all nine State Museum buildings will reopen starting this weekend under the new guidelines.
During phase one, all welcome centers will remain closed; however, those with exterior doors to restrooms will have 24-hour restrooms available.
Each state park and state historic site will follow guidance issued by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the American Hotel and Lodging Association (AHLA) to ensure all areas are disinfected and safe for visitors.
All employee working in fee stations, and coming into contact with visitors, will wear PPE including masks and follow proper prevention hygiene such as washing their hands frequently and using alcohol-based hand sanitizer when soap and water are not available.
Additional measures will be taken, following the CDC guidelines, on proper cleaning and sanitizing after guests leave to prepare for the next set of visitors.
Three state parks, which were used as isolation areas for patients, will remain closed. Those state parks are Chicot State Park in Ville Platte, Lake Bistineau State Park in Doyline, and Bayou Segnette State Park in Westwego.
Before opening each of these facilities to the public, certified cleaning crews will perform a decontamination cleaning of each area of the park.