New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell held a conference call with neighborhood leaders Thursday on her Coronavirus Emergency Declaration.
The Mayor announced the formation of a number of committees residents and businesses can go to get information and assistance as vast interruptions to public life could take place as the disease runs its course.
Professionals in the fields they work in, who are experts in the subjects they encounter, head up these committees. This includes Dr. Jennifer Avegno, New Orleans Health Department Director sitting on the committee of health. Mark Romig, with New Orleans and Company, heading up the committee designated to cover tourism affairs.
After the introductions, the Mayor fielded questions submitted by neighborhood leaders who were on the line. Among the first questions dealt The Lakewood Property Owners Association asked about the fate of outdoor concerts: "All city permitted events, they will be canceled," Cantrell responded directly.
Another group asked about recovering revenue from lost events. "Most of the gaps [in lost revenue] will come from the Federal Government."
As more questions got asked, Cantrell drew out explanations to try and answer as completely as possible.
When a community leader from Faubourg-Marigny asked about the effect of the emergency declaration on the cruise industry, Cantrell launched into a full explanation.
"The cruise ships have implemented their own procedures, relative not only to cleanliness but also temperature tests of passengers who are boarding as well as disembarking," Cantrell explained.
More questions about how to deal with the outbreak and who to report issues to were discussed. One neighborhood leader wanted to know if they should be reporting businesses not maintaining cleanliness:
"Yes! You can contact 3-1-1," Cantrell emphatically spoke. "They can take your information about businesses that do not have adequate cleaning supplies in the restroom."
Another question dealing with public transportation gave the Mayor the opportunity to affirm buses and streetcars will continue running:
"Right now there is not been a halt or a limit to public transportation provided to the public."
Concerns over those afflicted with the virus were also fielded, prompting the Mayor to address the seriousness of the disease by explaining:
"We do have one person who is not doing well at all," Cantrell said. "We do not want a loss of life." Though she would not go into detail, Cantrell did go into detail about the importance of cleanliness and heeding emergency guidelines about keeping the disease from spreading.
The questions posed by the public ran the gamut from simple, like whether curfews would be imposed: "There is no curfew now other than the curfew that is in place for juveniles."
While other questions needed detailed answers, like how businesses and jobs would be affected: "We're monitoring them, we have a committee working with business owners directly, those who may be experiencing financial difficulties."
Finally, the question about preparedness versus hoarding came up: "It's always good to have an emergency of non-perishables as well as toiletries and alike," Cantrell says. "What we have seen is stores are limiting mass purchasing. Limiting you to two [hand] sanitizers, limiting you to two packages of toilet tissue."
Cantrell says this will be the first of a series of conference calls to address immediate issues and make referrals to the many committees she has helped organize to see the city through the Coronavirus emergency.
