The city sent out an email on Friday saying that the federally funded program, which has fed more than 10,000 people, would come to an end this month. But an official said that email was 'premature.' Still, the city now plans to end the program after June.
There are now seven confirmed P.1 variant cases in the state. The agency has not published data on exactly where the most recently reported cases were found.
Earlier in the week, Gov. John Bel Edwards ended the statewide mask mandate.
Food workers are considered essential employees and have experienced some of the worst outbreaks the state has seen. But they were not part of the state’s earliest eligibility groups.
The decision, made out of an abundance of caution, officials said, comes at a critical time in state and city vaccinations efforts.
Data Center report finds that early eligibility groups meant that the vaccine was more likely to go to at-risk white residents.
The sites increased testing in Black census tracts, appear to have benefitted the elderly.
City-run initiatives are reaching more people of color, according to officials. But private vaccination sites may attract a whiter group.
The previous program, which expired in November, transitioned hundreds of people into long-term housing.
Shots are now available to people 16 or older with a wide range of preexisting conditions.
