COVID-19 on the Northshore: What You Need to Know

As a resident of the Northshore, we’re starting to think about the Corona Virus. What was once a faraway problem has now arrived in our parish with the first person hospitalized in one of our hospitals with the virus. Today the governor officially declared Louisiana in a health emergency and revealed that community spread is now happening in the New Orleans area.

While we normally like to give people event information and happy news, we do think we have a duty to keep you informed. As such, we will be collecting information here for as long as it is needed. Closings, cancellations, and relevant links will all be shared right here so you can just refer back to this one page whenever you need to.

Closures and Cancellations

All public schools in Louisiana are closed until April 13th.

Big Brother Tryouts are canceled.

The City of Covington has canceled all weekend events including the Celtic Club St. Patrick’s Day Parade and accompanying block party, Chef’s Soiree, and the Monk Run.

Coquille Park has canceled activities for this weekend. 3/13-3/15

Disney World, Disneyland, and Universal Studios are all closed until further notice.

French Quarter Fest in New Orleans has been postponed until October.

Home Depot is canceling all workshops (I have not seen them post this but it’s been widely reported on regional websites like mine)

LSU has canceled classes this week and will resume online-only following Spring Break. Read more information here.

Lowe’s Workshops are all canceled until further notice.

All games at Pelican Park have been canceled through Sunday 3/15.

Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival has been postponed to May 8th, 9th, and 10th.

Presidential Primary in Louisiana has been postponed.

Slidell Youth Soccer Club has cancelled all events for the week of 3/8-3/15

Slidell Bantum Baseball Association has postponed the season.

Southeastern Louisiana University has canceled classes trough 3/17 and is going to online only classes for the rest of the semester. Please see their website for more info.

USA Swimming has canceled all events for thirty days.

World War II Museum in currently closed.

Reputable Sources of Information

Louisiana Department of Health

Center for Disease Control

Statements from Local School Districts

St. Tammany Parish Public Schools

What is STPPS doing?
• We have a district crisis and safety plan in place.
• We are monitoring absenteeism patterns.
• We are providing necessary supplies for increased cleaning.
• We remain in close contact with the St. Tammany Parish Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness and the Louisiana Department of Health.
• Teachers are reviewing hand-washing techniques with students.
• We are discouraging students from sharing their food with others.
• We are encouraging all students to keep unwashed hands out of their mouths, noses, eyes, etc.
• School nurses are remaining vigilant in monitoring students and staff for symptoms.
• We are encouraging classroom staff to use anti-bacterial products on all high-touch surfaces daily.
• We are increasing the frequency of school building cleaning by custodial/maintenance staff.
• We are requesting that students and staff wait for the 14-day incubation period to expire before returning to school or work if they have traveled to a country on the CDC’s risk assessed list out of an abundance of caution.
• We’re asking new families who register whether the student has traveled internationally within the last two weeks.

Tangipahoa School System

TPSS is monitoring the development COVID-19/Coronavirus and coordinating with local health care agencies and government officials to ensure that appropriate precautionary measures are being taken. Although there are no reported cases of Coronavirus currently in Tangipahoa Parish we are urging everyone to be diligent in efforts to prevent the spread of all viruses. 

 Employees, parents and students should take appropriate measures to minimize the likelihood of infection by this and other viruses, such as the seasonal flu. Precautionary measures include the following:

• Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
• If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol content.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash. If you don’t have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your upper sleeve, not your hands.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects using household cleaner or spray.
• Do not eat after others, or share cigarettes or e-cigarettes.

Individuals who show signs of contagious infection, including with the seasonal flu, should stay home and seek medical treatment if conditions warrant. Some symptoms to watch for include fever, cough, shortness of breath and fatigue. 

We are distributing extra cleaning supplies, hand soap and paper towels to all schools. Schools are taking all necessary precautions to ensure that surfaces are wiped regularly and bathrooms are stocked with supplies for handwashing. 

Washington Parish Public Schools

No update at this time.

COVID-19 Update From Local Universities

Southeastern University, Hammond

Southeastern will shift to online classes starting Wednesday, March 18. Learn more: COVID-19 / Coronavirus Update from President John Crain

There are no cases of COVID-19/Coronavirus on campus.

Please note, campus is open, however, in keeping with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommendations, many larger events are being evaluated or cancelled. Please check with your event coordinator for updates.

Northshore Technical Community College

As a global community, we continue to monitor the spread of COVID-19/Coronavirus. Northshore Technical Community College officials are committed to ensuring the health and wellness of students, faculty and staff. College leadership remains highly engaged in monitoring and communicating the latest guidance from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and Division of Administration (DoA). Earlier today, I had the opportunity to join regional leaders for an informational forum at North Oaks Health System with the latest CDC updates on the spread of COVID-19 and essential preventative measures to ensure the health and safety of citizens. For the most up to date information, please continue to monitor the latest news provided on the home page of our college website at www.northsorecollege.edu/coronavirus

While preventative measures and consistent practices of sanitation are essential for persons and facilities, the college will also continue enhanced sanitation efforts included, but not limited to increased schedules of campus and classroom cleaning, added hand sanitizer stations, added signage with information to prevent the spread of COVID-19/Coronavirus and regular updates from the CDC located at www.cdc.gov/COVID19  Additional guidance regarding self-isolation and communication strategies for students and faculty in the event of illness will be included in the college resources page provided on our website. College officials and faculty are also evaluating and updating existing emergency preparedness manuals as well as policies and procedures related to continuation of instruction in an off campus environment in the event of the continued spread of COVID-19.

It is imperative that faculty, staff and students make administration aware of any planned personal international travel to affected areas. The college reserves the right to require individuals who choose to travel to affected regions to self-isolate upon return. College related travel is currently being monitored on a case by case basis. There are currently no study abroad programs in progress nor planned for the near future.

As our global community continues to monitor the spread of COVID19 and work tirelessly to ensure the health and wellness of all citizens, NTCC will continue to provide updates to our college family.

Louisiana State University

To the LSU community,

Last night, Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards declared a statewide public health emergency, which sets into motion a number of precautionary steps being taken to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

In light of this development, we are moving our classes online beginning Monday, March 30, through the rest of the Spring semester. Moving in-person courses to online will allow us to help slow the spread of the virus and protect all of us, as well as our friends, family, neighbors and colleagues, from exposure to the illness.

Classes at all LSU campuses, with the exception of LSU Health Science Centers in Shreveport and New Orleans, will be canceled the week of March 16 to allow faculty to finalize the online availability of course materials and for us to develop solutions to unique situations that will no doubt arise. Since spring break is the week of March 23, that means there will be no classes for the two-week period beginning March 16.

The university will remain open and operational during this time period, however, and staff members should continue to work normal schedules.

Faculty members are encouraged to continue their research and scholarly activities remotely when possible, and we’ll be in touch with further guidance.

Students living on campus are encouraged to return home if you can do so. We understand this isn’t possible for everyone, so our residential life housing will remain open and most services will be available, although in some cases we may temporarily relocate some residents to help with social distancing.

We are also prohibiting all international travel and limiting domestic business travel to that which is essential to the fundamental academic and research functions at LSU. We’re also taking the additional step of asking that all faculty, staff and students disclose your travel plans, whether business or personal. It’s important for us to understand the risks of infection brought about by travel to certain areas – particularly with spring break on the horizon.

I recognize these actions may be a burden to some, which I assure you we considered when making these decisions. But it’s the right thing to do, and I believe it gives us our best chances at keeping our LSU community as healthy as possible.

Look for an announcement about campus events soon, as we are considering all the factors involved in either canceling, postponing or conducting them virtually.

This is a complex and evolving situation, and we appreciate your patience as we work through all the details. As always, for accurate and timely updates from an official source please visit lsu.edu/coronavirus or one of LSU’s social media sites.

Thank you in advance for your understanding and your full cooperation. You are a fantastic group of resilient, compassionate and dedicated people. I have confidence in you.

Tom Galligan
LSU Interim President

University of New Orleans

Dear UNO Community,

As the developments with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continue to unfold, it is my goal to provide you with calm and reassuring guidance on how we will both protect members of our community and continue to deliver high quality education to our students. In consultation with UNO’s COVID-19 Task Force, state and local health officials, and local government and higher education leaders, we have made several important decisions.

Tomorrow’s course continuity readiness drill will proceed as planned. All scheduled classes on Thursday, March 12 will be conducted remotely. This is to prepare us for what’s to come.

Beginning on Monday, March 16, and until further notice, all in-person classes will be delivered remotely. Instructors will communicate relevant information to their students on how the course will be conducted. Also starting on March 16, all University-sponsored events held on campus with more than 50 attendees will be canceled and prohibited until further notice.

There are currently six presumptive positive cases of COVID-19 in New Orleans. While none is connected to our campus—as far as we know—it is imperative that we take decisive action before the outbreak becomes more widespread in our area. Health care officials are adamant that frequent handwashing and “social distancing,” or reducing the probability of contact between people who may be infected, are the best ways to stop the spread of the virus. It is true that COVID-19 has not yet had a significant impact on our campus community. We are implementing these reasonable, science-based safeguards in an effort to prevent that from happening.

In spite of the changes to course delivery, campus will remain open and employees are expected to report to work as usual. Students who live in residence halls may choose to either remain there or return home if it is more convenient to continue their remote learning.

Campus Dining will have modified offerings and hours of operation. The Earl K. Long Library will remain open with adjusted hours. For details on both, visit our COVID-19 FAQ page. A few select campus buildings will close to discourage large communal gatherings. The Cove will close starting on Thursday and the Recreation and Fitness Center will close beginning on Monday.

We continue to accumulate valuable information on the virus as well as all of our previous communications on the University’s COVID-19 web page.

The University of New Orleans has a long history of confronting and overcoming challenges. Through the determination and teamwork of our campus community, I am confident that we will pull closer together and persevere through this uncertain time. Quite simply, it’s the UNO way.