Baton Rouge back to Phase 1? Broome to discuss latest COVID-19 surge Thursday

It’s been less than one week since New Orleans reverted to a “modified Phase 1,” which involved further limiting capacity at businesses due to a sharp rise in cases.

The Baton Rouge area is also “currently experiencing a dangerous spike” in COVID-19 cases, says Mark Armstrong, a spokesman for Mayor Sharon Weston Broome. This is reflected across the state, where on Jan. 6, the state recorded 6,800 new cases in a single day. The increase in January is nearly double the spikes Louisiana was seeing at any other time during the pandemic.

Broome will hold a news conference Thursday, Jan. 14, to discuss the surge of COVID-19 in the parish. Whether the mayor will announce that Baton Rouge is returning to Phase 1 remains unknown, as Armstrong declined on Monday to disclose the nature of her planned remarks.

However, he noted that Broome will “discuss any next steps” related to the virus during the news conference, which is set to take place at 1:30 p.m. on the fourth floor of the downtown library.