BATON ROUGE - As many of Louisiana's businesses open their doors for the first time since early March, East Baton Rouge Parish leaders are meeting to review details of the reopening plans. 

On Friday morning, Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome and members of both RestartBR and BRAC discussed Phase 1 reopening plans on a local level. 

Click "Play" on the Facebook video below to watch the entirety of the mayor's Friday morning press conference. 

During the press conference, Mayor Broome praised locals for their continued efforts throughout the virus. She said that a total of 22 testing sites have been set up throughout the parish and that at this time, 16 corporate partners have raised nearly $250,000 for food service workers who were impacted by shutdowns caused by the pandemic.   

While the mayor acknowledged the encouraging news of these relief efforts, she reminded locals that the fight against COVID-19 is not over. 

"We will not see a return to normal until there's a vaccine," Mayor Broome said. 

Even as residents enter businesses and other locations that have reopened under Phase 1 regulations, the mayor emphasized the importance of continuing to wear masks and practice social distancing.

The press conference began at 10:30 a.m. and took place within Metro Council Chambers on St. Louis Street.