WWNO In a file photo, a face mask lies on the ground outside Ochsner Baptist during New Orleans' first wave of the pandemic. Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards announced Friday that he is “seriously considering” a statewide mask mandate for all Louisianans to curb transmission of the coronavirus as the state sees the highest rate of case growth in the country. Edwards said over the last 24 hours numerous hospitals and health organizations have requested that he reinstate a statewide mask mandate. Edwards said he will make an official announcement on Monday. He said he wanted time to analyze The study, which looked at an outbreak in Massachusetts, led the CDC to change its guidance this week for mask wearing. It now encourages everyone, regardless of their vaccine status, to wear masks indoors or in large crowds.