BATON ROUGE -  Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome announced Tuesday that the mask mandate will be extended until the parish enters Phase 3 of reopening.

The announcement comes days before the current order, which began July 3, is scheduled to expire on Aug. 3. The order affects the city of Baton Rouge and some other parts of the parish but excludes the cities of Baker, Zachary and Central.

In the past week, the mayor's office has touted the effects of the current order, saying it's helped reduce the rate of new coronavirus cases in the area.

You can read the full statement below.

Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome announced Tuesday her intention to extend the mask order for East Baton Rouge Parish. Once the extended order is signed, it will stay in effect until the parish enters Phase 3 of reopening.

“We have seen positive results since my executive order went into effect at the beginning of July, however, we still have a long way to go to protect our economy and residents,” said Mayor Broome. “Our positivity rate of those people taking COVID-19 tests has dropped since the order went into effect, but hospitalizations and new cases have risen in general.”

The rise in cases is likely due, in part, to the federal surge testing initiative based in Baton Rouge. So far about 45,000 people have been tested throughout the region since early July.

Face coverings play an important role in slowing the spread of the coronavirus. The mask order has been largely endorsed by the business and healthcare communities. According to a survey commissioned by the Speaker of the Louisiana House of Representatives in mid-July, 76% of respondents said they support a mask mandate.