The La. governor talks about how coronavirus cases are expected to surge there.
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Gov. John Bel Edwards said cases of novel coronavirus are expected to surge in Louisiana and overwhelm hospitals.
“We remain on a trajectory, really to overwhelm our capacity to deliver health care by the end of the first week of April,” he said on ABC’s “This Week” Sunday.
Earlier Sunday, Edwards announced the death of a staffer in his office, April Dunn, who died due to complications from new coronavirus.
When “This Week” Co-anchor Martha Raddatz asked about reports that Mardi Gras — which was held as scheduled — may have helped spread coronavirus in the state, Edwards agreed, but pointed to the messages coming from the federal government at the time.
“There was never any hint from anyone, to me, to the mayor of New Orleans, that there should be any consideration to downsizing or canceling Mardis Gras,” he said. “If you go back, you will see that the federal government was saying things were under control,” he added. “And this is some Monday morning quarterbacking going on.”
During a private teleconference with governors last week, Edwards asked Trump for federal resources and said that the state’s hospitals will run out of room by early April.
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In response to a recent travel warning issued for residents from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said residents from his state were already not traveling much as a result of the novel coronavirus outbreak.
“A travel warning, we’re fine with,” he said on ABC’s “This Week” Sunday. “The fact of the matter is we are all in on flattening that curve, social distancing as aggressive as any states in America.”
The CDC on Saturday issued what the president called a “strong” travel advisory administered by governors, in a release advising residents of Connecticut, New Jersey and New York to refrain from travel for a period of 14 days.
President Donald Trump raised the idea of an enforceable quarantine for parts of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut when speaking to reporters earlier Saturday. The region has become a hotspot in the outbreak with at least 30,000 cases confirmed in New York City alone.
The president reversed course in a tweet later that evening, saying that “a quarantine will not be necessary.”
More than 124,000 cases of COVID-19 have now been confirmed in the U.S. and more than 2,100 people have died, according to data from the the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. Globally, more than 30,000 people have died from illness related to the novel coronavirus.
The New Jersey governor, during a press conference Saturday, criticized people who didn’t abide by social distancing guidelines and continued to gather in large groups.
“This is not a game,” he said. “It is critical that you stay at home, unless you absolutely need to go out, or because we need you on the frontlines helping us respond to this crisis in whichever way.”
Murphy also announced a 90-day grace period on mortgage payments for people impacted by the coronavirus outbreak and that financial institutions would not initiate foreclosures or evictions for at least 60 days.
ABC News’ Kelly Cannon and Erin Doherty contributed to this report.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
