Another COVID disruption: Ascension Parish meetings go virtual again after president infected – The Advocate

GONZALES The Ascension Parish Council and its committees will go back to virtual meetings starting at 6:00 tonight, as the surge of the COVID cases continues to disrupt life in the area.

The announcement comes one day after the Jambalaya Festival Association announced it would have to cancel its annual festival in Gonzales for a second year in a row, and two days after Parish President Clint Cointment said he has mild symptoms from the COVID-19 illness.

For a second straight year, the novel coronavirus has canceled a Gonzales tradition: the Jambalaya Festival.

All meetings will be broadcast live on Ascension21, the parish public access channel available on EATEL and Cox cable, and streamed live on the internet, parish officials said Thursday.

"Until further notice, all meetings of the Ascension Parish Council and all Committee meetings will be by video teleconference only," the officials added in a statement Thursday. "This move is being made in an attempt to counter the recent surge in the number of coronavirus infections and COVID-19 cases."

The Council had virtual meetings for months in 2020 and early 2021 during earlier phases of the pandemic. But it switched back to in-person meetings in the spring when cases plummeted.

A few of those virtual meetings generated controversy because of poor internet connections that limited public comment. In January, a Planning Commission meeting over the controversial approval of the Windermere Crossing subdivision off Cannon Road suffered from some of those connection problems that limited comments, residents have said.

Ascension President Clint Cointment has been diagnosed with COVID-19 despite having being vaccinated, parish officials said Tuesday.

It's not clear when or where Cointment was infected, but he was fully vaccinated, his aides said. Parish officials have said they have notified all close contacts and Cointment has used his infection as an opportunity to urge others to be vaccinated.

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But Ascension continues to be one of the highest-risk locations in the state for the spread of the coronavirus, state health data show.

In the latest data released Wednesday, Ascension had the seventh highest weekly test positivity rate at 21.6%. State health experts generally consider 10% test positivity as a worrying level of viral spread.

GONZALESEven in the face of an uproar from residents over flooding, the Ascension Parish Planning Commission approved plans to construct se

State health officials say 90% of new cases are among those who are unvaccinated. Ascension's percentage of fully vaccinated residents is nearly 37%, slightly behind the statewide average and about 4 percentage points behind the regional average.

Parish officials said residents who wish to speak at Thursday's council meeting, which had been planned to be in Donaldsonville, and at future meetings can send an email up to 24 hours before the meeting or call a number during the meeting.

Narrow roads and traffic congestion continued to draw the focus of the Ascension Parish Planning Commission this month as the panel approved t

Officials said comments should be emailed to comments@apgov.us. The emails sent up to 24 hours before the meeting will be read aloud during the meeting.

During the meeting, residents should call (225) 621-8636 and enter participant code 939496.

Comments are limited to agenda items only. All meeting agendas and supporting documents are published on the parish website: http://www.ascensionparish.net/new-agendas-and-minutes/

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Another COVID disruption: Ascension Parish meetings go virtual again after president infected - The Advocate