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BATON ROUGE — As of 5:30 p.m., Monday, March 16, 136 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Louisiana, and the state lab has completed 374 tests. There are three confirmed deaths.

New cases are now considered “positive” instead of “presumptive positive.” Over the weekend, the Louisiana Department of Health said the CDC has found local lab tests to be reliable, and confirmation is no longer needed.

Additionally, the Governor John Bel Edwards took significant measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in Louisiana today, further limiting the size of gatherings to fewer than 50 people, closing casinos, bars and movie theaters and limiting restaurants to delivery, take out and drive-through orders only.

These changes are effective statewide at midnight. Operations may be able to resume on April 13. However, the situation will be re-evaluated seven days prior.