NEW YORK – The Diocese of Baton Rouge has followed the lead of Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards and reinstated an expectation that all parishioners will wear masks at diocesan churches, as COVID-19 rates surge across the state.

“It just makes sense,” Bishop Michael Duca told Crux. “I think about the people that want to come to church. They want to feel safe, and I think this helps some people feel safer and I think it may make a difference and that’s why I think it’s important to do.”

Baton Rouge has been hit especially hard through this latest wave of COVID-19. Its three major hospitals – Baton Rouge General Hospital, Ochsner Medical Center and Our Lady of the Lake Medical Center – had a combined 387 COVID-19 hospitalizations as of Thursday morning, according to a joint release.

The posting also indicates of those 387 hospitalizations, 333 of them are unvaccinated patients. Louisiana still has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the country, however, that number has started to climb of late amid the latest COVID-19 surge.

Duca said that some pastors have reported to him that parishioners that at one time were against the vaccine are beginning to change their minds with the transmissibility of the delta variant.

“There are a lot of people that are changing their minds once the virus hits closer to them, or they begin to realize it’s easier to pick up and that’s making people a little bit more willing to get the vaccine, which I hope will continue,” Duca said.

Although, the bishop noted that there are still some, even those that have recently lost a family member, that are still adamant that the vaccine won’t make much of a difference.

“It’s a matter of people who have kind of set their mind in a certain direction and I’m not sure what else can be said that will change your mind but hopefully they’ll see the reality around them, and begin to take that into account as they make the decision,” Duca said.

Edwards reinstated the statewide mask mandate on Monday. As of midday Thursday, Louisiana Department of Health data indicated the number of COVID-19 cases statewide again increased with 5,468 new cases. There were 33 new deaths and 2,350 COVID-19 hospitalizations.

At this point the Diocese of Baton Rouge and Diocese of Alexandria are the only Louisiana Catholic diocese to formally announce that it was bringing back masks.

The Diocese of Alexandria COVID-19 response team posted on its diocesan website the new guidance from the governor and indicated how they would implement it. For example, pastors or readers are permitted to remove their masks while giving a speech.

In an email to Crux, a spokesperson for the Diocese of Shreveport said Bishop Francis Malone will most likely reach a decision today on whether or not to require masks at all worship locations until September, or leave the decision up to each diocesan pastor.

The other Louisiana Catholic dioceses – Houma-Thibodaux, Lafayette in Louisiana, Lake Charles and the Archdiocese of New Orleans – have yet to make any announcements as of Thursday. They did not return Crux request for comment.

Duca said that he will reassess the mask requirement in about a month. Gov. Edward’s mask mandate will stay in place until Sept. 1, and Duca said he will continue to follow the guidance from the governor at that point.

He also explained that he doesn’t foresee going back to social distancing and other “draconian” COVID-19 precautions.

“We’ll have to see how bad it gets, but I don’t think that’s going to be the option,” Duca said. “The option is more vaccination and beating back this surge.”

Duca will not reinstate the Mass dispensation, either. Instead, he hopes the faithful will make the right decision for themselves and their families.

“If it’s dangerous to go to church, if you’re disadvantaged, if you’re fearful, then the obligation doesn’t bind you in those moments,” Duca said. “I want (parishioners) to kind of begin to develop the sense that they really have the ability to say no, that ‘is it too dangerous for me to go this weekend,’ and know they are exempt from that matter.”

Something new to the latest surge of COVID-19 cases is the impact it’s having on children. Coletta Barrett, the vice president of mission at Our Lady of the Lake children’s hospital, told Crux earlier this week that it’s seeing 8-12 children on a daily basis, compared to a maximum of two through the first three surges of the pandemic.

Duca said they’re getting concerned with the school year on the horizon, and believes it’s the right decision to start the school year with masks and gradually reassess what’s working and what’s not before they make any other decisions.

Follow John Lavenburg on Twitter: @johnlavenburg