This dilemma vexes businesses in COVID's fourth wave

The Front Page: Carrot or stick? Jeff Landry on the fringe. In-person school returns.

By Drew Broach | Deputy metro editor

CARROT OR STICK? After coronavirus vaccines became available in January, New Orleans area business owners began scrambling to hire new workers. But with infections now spiking worse than ever, they face a new dilemma: whether to require, or merely encourage, vaccinations of their workers.

ON THE FRINGE: Amid often strong disagreements among Republicans over how best to respond to the crippling pandemic, Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry has rarely wavered in his skepticism. He has publicly challenged the advice of medical professionals on the efficacy of hydroxychloroquine, the necessity of masks and the risks of the vaccine, and has even doubled down recently amid the worst wave of COVID-19. His all-out assault on public health efforts is helping him to stake out a place on the far fringes of his party in the runup to the state's next gubernatorial race.

'REFUSE TO LOSE': Last year, schools across Louisiana closed their campuses and put their resources into online instruction. As classes resume this year, however, they're largely abandoning virtual school to refocus on in-person learning even as Louisiana breaks records daily for new coronavirus infections and hospitalizations.

You'll find all this and much more in today’s Front Page and on NOLA.com. Thank you for starting you day with us.

D.B.