BATON ROUGE, LA – At a press conference just now, Louisiana Attorney
General Jeff Landry joined Governor John Bel Edwards and LSU Football Coach Ed
Orgeron to encourage teamwork in fighting the spread of COVID-19 in our State.
General Landry’s prepared remarks are as follows:
Good Afternoon. Thank you for being here.
My name is Jeff Landry, and I am the Attorney General of
Louisiana.
Let me say this: my number one priority is protecting
the health and safety of the People of Louisiana. And we are united in this
goal.
The Governor and I are standing here shoulder to
shoulder, united, and that is how serious the problem is that we face.
I want to say to the People of Louisiana – these are
extraordinary times and they call for extraordinary actions. But this too shall
pass. The important thing is that we all work together.
As the Governor has repeatedly said, on behalf of our
State Government, the measures he has taken so far are intended to delay spread
of the virus. That buys us time, and time is our friend in that regard.
However, time can also be our enemy.
We don’t want to be like Italy in a few short weeks –
where healthcare providers are overwhelmed, where health care is being
rationed, where doctors are faced with terrible decisions about who will get a
respirator and who won’t. In some cases, they could be deciding who will live
and who will die.
The Governor has issued increasingly more restrictive
proclamations to address this ongoing and developing situation. I am certain
that the Governor is as concerned as I am about the impact such actions have on
our citizens and economy. As Attorney General – I am, of course, especially
concerned about any action that would seem to limit our Constitutional
freedoms.
However – in this special health emergency – he is
acting based upon his concern, our concern, for the health and safety of the
public.
We want all of our friends, family, and neighbors here
in Louisiana to live and survive through this virus fight. We want to defeat
this invisible enemy which has attacked us.
I want to thank Coach O for standing with us today to
express the importance of today’s message. If anyone can express the importance
of a team concept and what winning looks like, it is Coach O.
I have full faith that, in the end, we will win and we
will conquer this epidemic as Louisianans have done before. And in this crisis,
winning means saving as many of our family, friends, and neighbors as we can.
Make no mistake about it: we are all asking you to help
us save lives.
Let’s remember our history. Teddy Roosevelt described
Louisiana’s response to the 1905 Yellow Fever epidemic this way – this is what
he said about us: “They took hold of it and after it started… they controlled
and conquered it.” We can do it again.
As Attorney General, I have been asked by some if the
Governor has the authority to take certain actions, like: limiting the size of
public gatherings, suspending some legal deadlines, and ordering restaurants
and bars to limit service. The short answer is yes.
The Governor, working with the Public Health Officer and
the Secretary of the Department of Health, has a broad scope of authority in a
public health crisis to protect the public. He could, ultimately, take more
drastic measures. He has not done so yet. To date, he has acted with restraint
and consideration for individual liberty interests. I appreciate that, as I
feel strongly about individual liberties – Constitutional liberties.
He is asking – and I am asking along with Coach O – that
people to follow these directives to slow the progress of the virus and
ultimately save lives. All of us want these restrictions to be in place for the
least amount of time necessary to address and limit the threat. Restrictions on
restaurants and public gatherings are not done to limit individual liberty or
political speech; in this specific case, they are done to limit death from an
external threat.
My staff at the Department of Justice is researching and
reviewing the Constitution and statutes that grant emergency powers to each of
our State Branches of Government so that we can provide them with all of the
legal tools available to combat this epidemic while preserving as many
liberties as possible. I am making sure this is all rooted in common sense as
well.
In some cases, we may need to make adjustments to make
sure all proclamations stay within the law. I have asked the Governor and the
Legislature to stay in close contact with my office so we can ensure his
actions stay within his scope of authority, so we can protect legal rights, and
so we can identify actions other officials may need to take.
But just like the team you see before you (including
Coach O), we are all working together as a team in State Government. So, as
part of that team, let me reminder you of a few things:
1. Be patient. We are all working hard to protect you and
the public.
2. Please listen to the President of the United States
and his Coronavirus team when they give us warnings and suggestions on how we
can fight back against this virus.
3. Please listen to your State Government – Governor
Edwards and our entire team – along with President Trump as we give you state
specific information. As I said, we are trying at the Department of Justice to
help find avenues to ensure we stay within the law and protect the public here
in Louisiana. That could be bumpy, but we are working in good faith.
4. Please follow the guidelines including – yes –
washing your hands for longer than normal. Keep our older citizens in mind and
those who are already sick because every action you take day-to-day could
impact them. Here are the guidelines:
a. Wash your hands often with soap
and water especially after you have been in a public place or after blowing
your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
b. Avoid close contact with people
who are sick.
c. Stay home if you are sick, except to
get medical care. I cannot emphasize this enough. This can be a matter of life
or death of one of your fellow citizens.
d. Cover coughs and sneezes and throw
used tissues in the trash.
e. Clean and disinfect frequently
touched surfaces like tables, doorknobs, light switches, countertops, handles,
desks, phones, keyboards, toilets, faucets, and sinks.
I will also, in addition to the Governor, be providing
specific information which is important to the State of Louisiana.
With the Governor declaring a public health emergency,
we are encouraging Louisiana consumers to be conscious of price gouging. We are
actively working with local law enforcement on 51 allegations. If consumers
suspect price gouging, they should report it to their local law enforcement
agencies. We do not want people or businesses to illegally take advantage of
this crisis.
It is important to note that price gouging is not
attributable to verifiable market fluctuations. When reporting price gouging,
consumers should include as much information as possible including: the name
and address of the merchant, the price and receipt of the item or service, and
their names, addresses, and phone numbers so they may be reached if further
information is needed.
Here is one: please, please, please be careful not to
fall prey to scam artists who may seek to harm you – especially our senior
citizens – in the middle of this crisis.
I will be asking members of the news media and media
companies to help me spread this message.
Scam artists using online tools, the telephone, or even
the mail will try to trick you into spending your money. If you see something
that concerns you, call our hotline at 800-351-4889.
Be careful with unfamiliar companies or websites who
claim they can sell you hard-to-find products, usually with very high prices.
Never give out your Social Security number, credit card
number, or bank account information over the phone – or on the Internet –
unless you initiated the contact.
As you take precautions to protect your health, also be
careful to protect your finances.
So, in closing, let’s all work together as one big
Louisiana family to take care of one another.
As your Attorney General, I will work every day – and
the Department of Justice will work every day – to help keep you safe.
We can win, and we will beat this virus, if we all work
together.