Masking required for most parish buildings

Parish President Chester Cedars has re-imposed a mask mandate for most parish owned public facilities.
In a statement issued last week, Cedars cited the surge in COVID-19 cases due to the Omicron variant as his primary concern in calling for mandatory masking in parish owned and operated facilities while emphasizing it does not apply to any other public place under the ownership or operation of other judicial/public entities.
And while all persons entering the courthouse or annex must be wearing a mask, the political/judicial en-
tities housed within those buildings can establish their own rules regarding the wearing of masks while within those areas.
In the order, Cedars also emphasized that it applied “solely to indoors” and masks are not currently required in parks and pavilions.
And regarding the use of parish owned community centers, the individuals/organization renting the facilities can regulate the wearing of masks during the events to be held in the centers.
The masking order went into effect on Dec. 28. Besides the rapid spread of the Omicron variant, Cedars also expressed concern that less than 38% of parish residents have been fully vaccinated against the virus.