BATON ROUGE - Governor John Bel Edwards announced Tuesday that he will extend his executive order requiring face coverings in indoor settings throughout Louisiana.

The governor said during a news briefing Tuesday afternoon that the mandate will be extended until Oct. 27. The order was scheduled to expire Wednesday.

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Edwards last extended the order at the end of August, as Louisiana was still grappling with its fourth surge of the coronavirus. The state set new single-day records for deaths and hospitalizations last month, with more than 3,000 patients being treated at medical centers across the state at one point.

In the past week, Louisiana has reported a relatively low number of new COVID cases compared to the resurgence that began over the summer. Between Friday and Tuesday, the state reported a positivity rate at or below five percent.