New Orleans indoor mask mandate returned this morning at 6:00 a.m., as the Omicron strain of COVID spreads like wildfire.
Omicron still is not causing as many severe cases, but Dr. Jennifer Avegno says the problem is how easily it spreads.
"What is going on in hospitals now is anything but mild. In three weeks, hospitalizations have risen statewide by a factor of seven," said Dr. Avegno. "That is a faster rise than in the Delta surge."
With the city determined to host a successful Mardi Gras this year, Dr. Avegno says it is critical to get that hospitalization number down.
"EMS volume goes up significantly just for normal carnival stuff, because you get hit in the head with a bead, or you trip on the sidewalk, or you overindulge, or you do things that you do in New Orleans," explained Dr. Avegno.
"That's why it behooves us right now to take every step we can to get us as far down to normal as we can, so that we can handle the usual surge, non-COVID, but carnival surge."
For that reason, the city's mask mandate is back, and will remain in place until further notice.