Louisiana will postpone its presidential primary election as concern over the coronavirus outbreak spreads, Louisiana Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin announced Friday.
The state will push back its presidential primary election, in which 54 delegates are on the line, from April 4 to June 20 and will also delay its municipal election to June 25.
Louisiana primary rescheduled for June 20. This will probably not be the only postponement. https://t.co/XhlESObxUS
— Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) March 13, 2020
“We want to protect the health and safety of all Louisianans by doing our part to prevent the spread of this highly infectious disease,” Ardoin told reporters. (RELATED: Here Are All The Major Places And Events Closed Due To Coronavirus Pandemic)
It is unclear whether any of the other states voting next month, New York, Pennsylvania and Maryland will follow Louisiana’s lead. Arizona, Florida, Illinois and Ohio will move forward with their primaries as planned this upcoming Tuesday.
The move comes as COVID-19 continues to wreak havoc on American life. Concerns over the pandemic have led to the postponement of every major professional sporting event including March Madness and The Masters. Schools and universities have also largely cancelled or moved classes online.
Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Vice President Joe Biden have also cancelled many campaign events and moved Sunday’s one-on-one debate from Phoenix, Arizona, to CNN’s Washington D.C. studio with no live audience.
As of today, there have been 1,629 cases and 41 deaths from coronavirus in America.