Coronavirus Fears Force Louisiana to Postpone Presidential Primary

COVID-19 is now a global pandemic, and Americans are doing their darnedest to get ahead of the virus.

The issue with this particular strain of coronavirus is not the severity of the sickness itself, (outside of the already at-risk populations among us), but rather just how quickly it spreads.  Often those carrying the illness are transferring the virus without ever exhibiting symptoms themselves, and, left unchecked, this will eventually infect a rather large portion of the overall population.

When those numbers rise, so do the numbers for this who are more susceptible to COVID-19 complications.

In short:  To keep our grandparents from suffering mightily from this virus, we have to stay away from one another and wash our hands frequently.

Unfortunately, this means that concerts and sporting events will be on hiatus for a bit, and we might not be attending any beer festivals in the coming days.  In Louisiana, they’re even going so far as to postpone their presidential primary.

Louisiana is postponing its presidential primary elections amid fears of the novel coronavirus pandemic, Louisiana Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin confirmed on Friday.

Ardoin announced on Friday that the state will move its upcoming primary elections, previously scheduled for April 4, amid mounting coronavirus concerns. Officials have moved the debate to June 20, according to the Monroe News-Star. There are currently 33 presumptive positive cases in the state.

Gov. John Bel Edwards declared a state of emergency in the state this week, adding that he expects “the number to increase over time.”

“That’s why we issued a statewide emergency declaration and why we’re asking everyone to follow precautions,” he said. “It’s important because it will reduce your risk of exposure and the risk of spread to others. It is worrisome.”

This is certainly a worrisome escalation of the “social distancing” being recommended by national health authorities, and could have potential ramifications for the general election in November as well.