BATON ROUGE - Following the Louisiana Department of Health's coronavirus report Thursday, Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome warns the community that East Baton Rouge Parish is "moving in the wrong direction."

With the parish-wide positivity rate coming back at 5%, Mayor Broome says this rise in cases is concerning as much of the country is in the midst of COVID-19 resurgence.

"I cannot stress enough, our economy and hospital capacity are at great risk. Just a few weeks ago, bars in East Baton Rouge Parish were granted permission by the state to reopen under limited capacity. As of today, we would no longer qualify for this opt-in status. If our positivity rate reaches two consecutive weeks of 10% positivity, our bars will be forced to close again," Mayor Broome said Thursday in a news release.

The mayor is concerned that local hospitals will become overwhelmed with flu season nearing its peak. Broome says if this happens, it could result in citizens needlessly dying.

"In order to protect our health and keep our economy open, we must double down in our efforts by wearing a face covering, avoiding crowds, getting a flu vaccination, and getting tested if you have COVID-19 symptoms," Mayor Broome said.