Louisiana has announced that it is postponing its presidential primaries due to the coronavirus pandemic.
CNBC reports that the state will delay the vote until June 20. The initial primary vote was scheduled to take place on April 4.
According to The Advocate in Baton Rouge, Sec. of State Kyle Ardion made the announcement at 11:30 a.m. local time Friday.
"We’re one of the few states that is supposed to have an election in early April, which we think could potentially be the height of some of this in Louisiana," Christina Stephens, a spokesperson for Gov, John Bel Edwards told The Advocate. "Our poll workers are by large elderly, over the age of 70 and we think it is unsafe for them to be monitoring the election. We don’t think we would have enough poll workers...and we think we should be discouraging people from congregating in that way."
Louisiana is the first state to postpone its primary amid the coronavirus pandemic.