On Wednesday afternoon, LSU football star Joe Burrow put out a video on Facebook urging people to continue practicing social distancing and stay home if possible.
https://www.facebook.com/lsufootball/videos/2357264534571873/
“This is obviously a crazy time for everybody right now, and I think it’s more important now than ever to follow directions that the government lays out,” Burrow says. “Right now they’re saying to stay inside, self-quarantine, wash your hands, limit the spread of this virus so we can flatten the curve a little bit and get back to a normal life. And the only way that we can do that is if we follow instructions. Everyone wants this to end as quickly as possible. We just have to do everything in our power to limit the spread of this and flatten the curve.”
According to Gov. John Bel Edwards, Louisiana currently has the fastest growth rate of COVID-19 cases in the world, with a growth trajectory to those seen in Italy and Spain. As of this writing, the Louisiana Department of Health was reporting 1,795 cases of COVID-19 in the state, with 827 of those in Orleans Parish. Louisiana continues to try to flatten the curve, with a statewide stay-at-home order in place; though, in New Orleans, Mayor LaToya Cantrell issued one before the Governor.
In his Facebook video, Burrow went on to urge those who could to donate to local food banks. In Louisiana, Second Harvest Food Bank has put out an emergency call for monetary and food donations, pointing out that they have gone from providing around 1,000 meals a day to over 3,000, and that they need to hire more staff and buy enough food to expand that number to 10,000 meals per day as more people need help after being out of work due to COVID-19 shutdowns.
https://www.facebook.com/2ndHarvestGNOA/posts/10163217910410147
If you’re looking for another way to help, and you have the ability, Tulane Hospital announced today that they are running low on clean scrubs for healthcare workers. They are urging those who have access to bring matched sets only of green cotton surgical scrubs to the Murphy Building, 131 S. Robertson Street as soon as possible. Scrubs will be sorted by size and laundered appropriately before being distributed.
Jenn Bentley is a freelance journalist based in New Orleans specializing in politics and social justice issues. In 2019, she was given the title of “Most Fearless” by The Bayou Brief. Follow her on Twitter: @JennBentley_
