Known more for its hedonistic partying than rules and regulations, New Orleans is flipping the script and has become the latest US city to introduce a proof of vaccine or a negative test for individuals to attend many indoor events or activities.
Alarming figures showing a resurgence in the city of the Covid-19 virus in the past month have led to the tightening restrictions.
Want to dive into a dinner of crawfish etouffee, a delicious po’boy sandwich, or a spicy jambalaya? Perhaps you want to kick back at a bar, sip on your hurricane and watch the beaded necklaces fly from those on the balcony down to the daring (or drunk, or both) below? Hey, maybe you just want to hit the gym after all of the Cajun and Creole delights NOLA has to offer?
Then you better have proof of at least one shot of vaccine or a negative result from a Covid test taken in the last 72 hours.
The mandate includes all individuals 12 and older and begins this Monday- for those who live in the city and the endless stream of tourists who flock to Bourbon Street and surrounds. It stretches to many indoor events where social distancing is difficult to maintain.
These restrictions are on top of the mask mandate that was reinstated in late July after two months of New Orleans being mask-free. At the time of reinstating the unpopular mandate, Dr. Emily Nichols, Medical Director for the city implored, “If we don’t all mask, if we don’t all get vaccinated, this will continue to kill us. This is an ongoing fight we cannot win if it’s just a few of us.”
In regards to the “vaccine passport”, the Mayor of New Orleans LaToya Cantrell shared the breadth of the indoor mandate during a press conference this week, “The situation is dire and we are simply out of time. Sports complexes and stadiums, this includes the Superdome. Concerts, centers, music halls, event spaces, and adult performance venues. Casinos and racetracks also included in this.”
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