On Friday, May 1, Gov. John Bel Edwards approved religious gatherings in Louisiana if they abide by the following rules:
–Religious gatherings must happen in open areas (outdoors) with or without temporary tents.
–The temporary tent, subject to local or parish rules and ordinances, must meet NFPA 101 Life Safety Code and must be open on all sides. The tent must not be enclosed.
–There must be a minimum 7-foot, 6-inch of headroom (ceiling height) in a tent .
–Crowd managers should be at the service. They should be able to call for an emergency evacuation, enforce social distancing requirements, assign seating to attendees, and further manage any movement of people throughout the service. A crowd manager can be church ushers, staff, or leadership. In the event of a fire or other emergency, crowd managers must call for an evacuation and then call 911.
–A state-approved fire extinguisher must be within 75 feet of the tent area.
–There must be one crowd manager for every 50 people in attendance.
–Crowd managers are required to wear face masks.
–The number of people who can attend the service is subject to social distancing requirements and spacing of seated attendees. Crowd managers must provide strict supervision to ensure social distancing is happening.
–Persons must maintain a 6-foot distance from others when entering, moving about, seating, and exiting the service.
–Human contact should be minimized.
–It is encouraged that persons be asked not to attend if they are 65 years or older or have chronic health conditions.