BATON ROUGE - Governor John Bel Edwards will host another news conference Friday to address the state's response to Louisiana's newest coronavirus surge.

The governor said he is considering a state-wide mask mandate but has not fully implemented one.  He called for Louisianans to wear masks inside but stopped short of requiring a mask mandate.

"We're going to review data that came from the CDC today," he said, before deciding whether the state will reimpose a mask mandate. 

He added that expects to hold another briefing Monday where he'll likely give an update on mask mandate decision.

Dr. Joseph Kanter with the Louisiana Department of Health said Friday that more than 11 percent of all emergency rooms visits involved people with COVID symptoms. More than 40 hospitals have now asked the state for help with staffing during the latest surge. 

Read about Louisiana's latest coronavirus data here.