Louisiana’s public health emergency, which has been in place for two years,  won’t be renewed on Wednesday, Gov. John Bel Edwards announced Monday during his State of the State address.

“On March 11, 2020, I signed a public health emergency for COVID-19. And while it changed to reflect the ebb and flow of the pandemic, it has remained in effect since then,” Edwards said. “This Wednesday, two days from now, the order expires. And after 24 months, I will not be renewing it.”

Louisiana recorded its first resumptive case of COVID-19 on March 9, 2020. Since then, over 16,800 residents have died from the disease. 

The governor’s announcement comes after the Omicron variant fueled the state’s worst outbreak in COVID-19 cases since the beginning of the pandemic. Cases have been trending downward since then. 

As a result, COVID-19 measures like mask mandates, social distancing and capacity restrictions have largely dissapeared throughout the state, including at LSU. 

Louisiana still has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the country. 

“Just because the proclamation is expiring doesn’t mean COVID is over,” Edwards said. “If the circumstances call for it, I will not hesitate to declare another emergency. But God willing, we will never have to see such difficult mitigation measures in our state again.”