Gov. Edwards responds to AG Jeff Landry comments on mask mandate
La. governor, attorney general spar over coronavirus mask mandate
By WAFB Staff | July 17, 2020 at 11:14 AM CDT - Updated July 20 at 10:41 PM
BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - On Thursday, July 16, Governor John Bel Edwards wrote a letter to Attorney General Jeff Landry in response to Landry's remarks that the statewide mask mandate was "unconstitutional."
Click here to read the letter
More: AG Landry calls statewide mask mandate, bar restrictions unconstitutional; Gov. Edwards says 'put politics aside'
"After careful consideration, it is my opinion as to the chief legal officer of the State that the order does not pass the constitutional test," Landry said.
He also called the mandate "unenforceable."
In Gov. Edwards' response, he says Landry's letter "reminded me of the famous line 'everyone is entitled to their opinion, but not their own facts.'"
Edwards says the mandate and the measures he's taken to stop the spread of COVID-19, such as closing bars, were decided by facts, data, and experts.
The panel concluded that "many countries took minimal action to prevent the spread (of COVID-19) internally and internationally." The pandemic has killed at least 2 million people worldwide so far.
The coronavirus is becoming more genetically diverse, and health officials say the high rate of new cases is the main reason.
Published 5h at 1:21 AM