COVID-19 testing sites operated by the Louisiana National Guard will be closed on Thursday, November 26 and Friday, November 27 for the Thanksgiving holiday.
In the New Orleans region, testing sites at the Alario Center, Mahalia Jackson Theater and University of New Orleans will be open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. Normal hours for all testing sites will resume on Monday, December 1.
The Department of Health has identified increases in cases, hospitalizations and percent positivity statewide as Louisiana experiences a third wave of COVID-19. With the state in the heart of flu season and the holiday weekend just ahead, everyone needs to do their part to reduce the spread of COVID-19: wearing our masks, washing our hands, staying 6 feet apart, staying home when sick and getting a flu shot.
For the Thanksgiving holiday, Louisianans should consider staying home with our own households and seeing loved ones over video chat. If gathering in person, keep the group small and take the celebration outdoors where the risk of transmitting the coronavirus is reduced. The best way to show our loved ones we care this year is by reducing the likelihood that we give them COVID.