(CNN) – In a citywide crackdown, New Orleans announced on Friday that it will order the closure of all indoor and outdoor bars and will ban travel drinks from next Friday until Mardi Gras Day on 16 February.
During a press conference, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell called the large crowds seen on Bourbon Street last weekend “unacceptable”.
Cantrell referred to the crowds as oversized events, calling them dangerous and a risk to lives and the progress the city has made to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
In addition to closing indoor and outdoor bars, Cantrell said bars that operate as restaurants will also be closed to the public. Sales of packaged alcoholic beverages will be prohibited in the French Quarter and Central Business District, and all sales of travel beverages will be prohibited during that period.
“I think we were all hopeful that we could find the balance needed for a safe and fun Mardi Gras, but given these new variants, the recent big crowds in the neighborhood and the potential for even bigger crowds this weekend and as we move towards the Mardi Gras weekend, it became very evident that it is difficult to do, “said Cantrell.
The mayor said she would rather be accused of doing too much than doing too little with regard to the health and safety of residents, especially hospitality workers.
The closings of Mardi Gras have frustrated many companies. Scott Wood, owner of the Courtyard brewery in the Lower Garden district, said this is probably the seventh or eighth time he closed his business during the pandemic.
“The city knew Mardi Gras would have been a problem for months and did not have a clear plan released. For them to charge us a week later, while Mardi Gras festivities are already underway, it is unfortunate and frustrating,” said Wood via email .
The new restrictions involving bars and sales of alcoholic beverages will take effect from 6 am on Friday, 12 February, to 6 am on Wednesday, 17 February.
Mardi Gras restrictions also include limiting vehicle and pedestrian traffic at certain times on busy streets, including Bourbon Street, Frenchman Street and Decatur Street.
Parades, second rows and other meetings were already prohibited by the current restrictions of the modified second phase in the city. Outdoor meetings are limited to 25 people and indoor meetings can include a maximum of 10 people. Masks and social distance are necessary.