Lt. Governor’s Office Monitoring Impact of Coronavirus

Coronavirus is on the radar of the Lt. Governor’s office as tourism in Louisiana could see big losses from the spread of the illness.

Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser says one international convention has already decided to pull the plug on their New Orleans event.

“That with having people coming from 46 different countries, it absolutely has effected that convention,” says Nungesser.

Some of Louisiana’s biggest festivals, including the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, are happening within the next few months.  While no cases have surfaced in Louisiana yet, Nungesser says an outbreak could be devastating.

“You see it in these other countries where they are banning travel, and something like that would devastate the tourism industry in New Orleans, and really any part of Louisiana,” says Nungesser.

Nungesser commends Governor John Bel Edwards for his handling of the preparations for any potential outbreak.

“There has been a lot of scare tactics and rumors going around but rest assured that the governor’s team is on top of this, and the public will know if there is a problem,” says Nungesser.