East Baton Rouge Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome on Saturday declared a local public health emergency, freeing up state and federal funds for anticipated parishwide efforts to respond to the novel coronavirus that's been spreading across Louisiana since early this week, although no confirmed cases have surfaced yet in Baton Rouge.

The mayor's office announced the declaration late Saturday afternoon amid growing concerns about the speed at which the virus has been transmitted in some parts of Louisiana — and less than an hour after officials confirmed the state's first coronavirus death.

Gov. John Bel Edwards on Friday closed all public schools for the next month and banned gatherings of 250 people or more. The state also postponed its April presidential primary election.

This high number of Louisiana coronavirus cases per capita is concerning, John Bel Edwards says Louisiana confirmed its first death from the novel coronavirus Saturday, as the number of known cases in the state more than doubled from a da…

The New Orleans area remains the epicenter of the state's coronavirus outbreak since the first case was confirmed in Jefferson Parish earlier this week.

Officials anticipate a confirmed case in the Baton Rouge area in the coming days. It's unclear how many people in the region have been tested.

Broome said in a press release Saturday that her emergency declaration will allow the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help fund measures at the local level before, during and after a disaster. That includes protective measures and costs such as overtime pay, protective equipment and emergency care.

Broome said the Mayor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness will be partially activated starting Sunday and staffed from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. to continue preparing for the arrival of the coronavirus in East Baton Rouge.