Two steps forward, one step back.

In a press conference Tuesday afternoon, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said that he is putting the state back on a modified Phase 2 footing as the coronavirus outbreak in the state continues to climb back to levels not seen since late summer.

During his presentation, Edwards said he was reinstituting tighter restrictions, specifically on bars and restaurants, as well as some other high-contact businesses.

Gatherings will be limited to 75 people indoors and 150 outdoors, with some exceptions. Schools openings and closings will be left in the hands of individual school districts, while churches will be allowed to operate at 75 percent of occupancy, with proper social distancing and masking restrictions in place.

As for bars, those in parishes where the seven-day testing positivity rate is above five percent will be limited to outdoor service only, unless they have a conditional restaurant permit in place. Those establishments can allow indoor consumption at 50 percent of occupancy.

“The way I’m looking at it he gave us a lifeline of a sort,” said Danita Maldonado, owner of the Bourbon Hall on Main Street in New Iberia. “Before you had to have a conditional permit, with a drive through, like a daiquiri shop. With our patio open, that actually works for us.”

Other businesses, like restaurants, coffee shops, gyms, fitness centers, casinos and video poker parlors, and non-essential retail stores, will have to maintain a 50 percent occupancy, with social distancing and masking rules in place.

The new restrictions take effect Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving, which many epidemiologists have feared will be a super-spreader holiday. Edwards said the restrictions will remain in place through the end of the year.

Across the Teche Area, this means most bars will have to stop indoor service immediately, but those with enough outdoor space can serve up to 60 people outdoors. St. Martin, St. Mary and Iberia parishes were all above the five percent seven-day testing positivity threshold last week. All of the parishes in Region 4, with the exception of Vermilion Parish, were above 10 percent.

And the numbers have continued to rise this week. The latest seven-day averages of test positivity will be released at noon Wednesday.

“We’ve done it before,” Edwards said in closing his press conference. “We can do it again. Pretty soon, we can put this in our rear view mirror. But that’s not today. Today, it is right in front of us, right in our grill.”

DIst. 49 Rep. Blake Miguez, R-Erath, has been an outspoken opponent of Edwards’ restrictions on businesses and gatherings. He was part of a group of 65 GOP legislators who signed a petition in October calling for an end to restrictions on business occupancy and basically lifting all of Edwards’ restrictions, including mask mandates, issued through emergency proclamations. A state court judge ruled the petition unconstitutional earlier this month, setting up the legislators and state Attorney General Jeff Landry to file an appeal to the state’s Supreme Court.

“After the Governor’s announcement today, the people of Louisiana anxiously await their appeal directly to the Louisiana Supreme Court for final adjudication, contesting the Governor’s extraordinary powers nine months into this virus response,” Miguez said Tuesday evening. “The legislature never intended to give up their powers to any governor unchecked. Separations of powers is an important part of preventing tyranny within our government. All elected leaders must work together during this extended COVID response. We are no longer in a situation where one person should unilaterally make all of the decisions about Louisiana’s future. The people hurting across this state deserve a voice in this process. We intend to give them one!”

Maldonado, who has been shut down as many months as she has been open since buying her bar earlier this year, said that the allowance for outdoor consumption leaves enough room for her and her staff to get by until restrictions might be lifted.

“Is it ideal?” she asked. “No, and we are going to get killed on Friday and Saturday nights. But now that we can open outside, we need heaters and such to winterize. The big thing for us is that our girls can keep working.”

She also said that Tuesday afternoon she was expecting the worst. When the bar was closed as part of the statewide shutdown early this summer, the expenses of keeping up with the bar’s regular note and expenses, coupled with the loss of a large segment of the business’ inventory, were a major hit on finances.

“If we were forced to close, I don’t know what we would have done,” Maldonado said. “If we were shut down two weeks or two months, it would have been bad. We’ll take this little lifeline and use it to our advantage. We have our sidewalk permit, so at least we can make a little bit of money.”

According to the Louisiana Department of Health, the following are the major changes taking place Wednesday:

• All Louisianans are encouraged to avoid gatherings of individuals not part of their households.
• All businesses, private and public sectors, are encouraged to use remote work where they can.
• All restaurants are limited to 50 percent of their indoor capacity. Restaurants should move as much dining outdoors as they can. Social distancing is required.
• For bars in parishes above 5 percent positivity, bars are closed to indoor sales and consumption but open for outdoor consumption at tables only and at 25 percent capacity, with a maximum of 50 people. Social distancing is required. Take-out and delivery will still be available.
• Retail businesses at 50 percent capacity, except for essential businesses, as defined by federal guidance from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.
• Gyms may be open at 50 percent of their capacity.
• Places of worship will remain at a maximum of 75 percent of their capacity or the number of people who can physically distance with at least six feet between each immediate household. The State Fire Marshal will put out additional COVID mitigation measures to make services safer.
• Barber and beauty shops, and nail salons may open at 50 percent of their capacity.
• Movie theaters may open at 50 percent of their capacity.
• Indoor gatherings at event/receptions centers are limited to 25 percent capacity or up to 75 individuals.
• Outdoor gatherings at event/reception centers are limited to 25 percent capacity or up to 150 individuals when strict physical distancing is not possible.
• All sporting events will be capped at 25 percent capacity.