NEW ORLEANS — A new normal in St. John the Baptist Parish now comes with new hours of operation. The parish is the first in Southeast Louisiana to put a limit on when folks can be outside, with a curfew.
“We’ve got kids playing football. We’ve got kids playing basketball, having cookouts and barbeques. At some point, I had to make a decision,” said Sheriff Mike Tregre.
That decision from the sheriff comes after the parish saw an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases and related deaths.
“It’s alarming. It’s heartbreaking to see the numbers continue to rise,” said parish president Jaclyn Hotard.
For Hotard, those numbers mean so much more than just statistics.
“We’re a small community, so when we have a death, it’s not a number. It’s a name. It’s an individual,” said Hotard.
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Wednesday night parish leaders hosted a tele-townhall, connecting folks to an outlet of information about what’s happening in their community, from COVID-19 to federal relief packages.
“I’m hoping they can walk away with a better understanding of how some of these relief packages will impact them directly whether it be an individual on a personal side or how it would impact one of our small businesses,” said Hotard.
The immediate impact is that curfew, which folks in other parishes are feeling as well. Neighboring St. James Parish and Washington Parish on the Northshore issued curfews soon after St. John the Baptist.
“We want to be good citizens and we’re trying to follow the governor’s directive and his proclamation,” said Washington Parish Chief Deputy Mike Haley
Haley said anyone found in violation of the curfew will be asked to go home. If there’s a repeat offender, Haley said a criminal summons may be issued.
“It’s best that we not be out and about. It’s best that we stay home, confined in our own homes and not risk the possibility of spreading this virus to anyone else,” said Haley.
Sheriff Tregre said the goal is not to arrest anyone but given the seriousness of why the curfews are in place, he’s not afraid to do it.
“If you have to get out and about, we ask you to take care of your business in the daytime and in the evenings, you should be settled in,” said Tregre.
These curfews will be in effect until further notice and apply to both vehicle and pedestrian traffic.
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