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Washington Parish President Richard “Ned” Thomas issued a statement Thursday afternoon, confirming that two cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in parish residents.

The statement reads:

“As of 930 a.m. on Thursday, March 19, the Louisiana Department of Health is reporting 347 cases of COVID-19 in Louisiana, of which two cases were identified as being Washington Parish residents. There have been eight confirmed deaths and a total of 805 tests completed.

“As your parish president, I urge all citizens of Washington Parish to heed the guidelines given by the Centers for Disease Control, the Louisiana Department of Health and the executive orders issued by Gov. John Bel Edwards, especially social distancing. I am adjusting my workforce and encouraging sick employees to stay home and working with those employees that don’t have proper childcare due to school closures. Additionally, I am limiting access to the general public, in order to protect my employees and limiting face-to-face contact within parish government.

“Please continue to wash your hands often for at least 20 seconds, cover your cough, stay away from sick people and more importantly stay home if you are sick. I cannot stress enough how important it is for everyone to take actions to reduce the risk of getting sick, by practicing social distancing and unnecessary travel.”