Louisiana Becomes First State to Postpone Democratic Primary Over Coronavirus

Louisiana will postpone its presidential primaries set for next month, becoming the first state to take the step as fears about the coronavirus outbreak spread.

The state will push its presidential nominating contests back to June 20 from the planned date of April 4, Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin announced Friday. It has also delayed its municipal elections until July 25.

"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.

BREAKING: Gov. Edwards has ordered all of Louisiana's K-12 public schools to be closed from Monday, March 16 through Monday, April 13 >> https://t.co/LmEbVkvOua

— WAFB (@WAFB) March 13, 2020