BATON ROUGE- Louisiana State University planned to enter Phase 3 of the state-wide reopening plan on June 29, however, following Governor John Bel Edwards' coronavirus news briefing on Monday, that will not be the case.

Gov. Edwards announced Louisiana would remain in Phase 2 for at least another 28 days as there is a new rise in COVID cases and hospitalizations.

LSU posted a release to its website on Monday, June 22:

Dear Faculty and Staff,

Following the Governor’s announcement today that Louisiana will not be proceeding to Phase 3 at this time due to an increase in cases of COVID-19, LSU will not be starting Phase 3 of our return to campus as previously planned. We will follow the state’s lead and remain in Phase 2 until further notice. 

We must continue to act in the best interest of our faculty, staff and students, and that means keeping everyone safe. We are still very much in the midst of this pandemic, and have even begun seeing surges in the areas surrounding campus.

We still remain hopeful that we can begin our Fall semester on schedule, but frankly for that to happen every one of us will need to take the precautions seriously and ensure that those around us do as well. Stay home, wash your hands thoroughly and often, and maintain six feet of distance from others who are not a part of your household. Wear a face covering if you have to leave your house, or at the very least any time you are not able to maintain physical distancing. And hold others accountable for doing the same thing. If we all do our part, we can put ourselves in the best position to be on campus this fall.

If you are not a part of Phases 1 or 2, please continue to work remotely. We will continue to monitor the situation and will let you know when we have any updates.

In the meantime, please remain diligent about staying safe and healthy.

Tom Galligan

LSU Interim President and Professor of Law

Stacia Haynie

Executive Vice President & Provost

Dan Layzell

Executive Vice President & CFO

In the university's Phase 3 plan, a maximum of 75% occupancy will be allowed on campus to adhere to the CDC's social distancing protocols.