COVID-19 in Ouachita Parish

The Louisiana Department of Health web site reports that there have been 1,150 cases of COVID-19 in Ouachita Parish, with 37 deaths occurring from the disease. Throughout Louisiana, nearly 55% of all COVID-19 deaths are blacks, while only slightly over 43% deaths were white people. At press time, the death toll total number in the nation had increased to over 100,000. As the federal government is encouraging all the United States to "open up" the economy, many people seem to view that as permission to relax their vigilance regarding social distancing, hand-washing, etc. The Monroe Dispatch urges all its readers to continue to exercise the utmost caution during this time!