New Orleans mayor LaToya Cantrell presented a call-to-action for all New Orleans residents to keep up their efforts to wear a mask and avoid big gatherings if the city is to move into Phase 3.3 by the end of October.
“The call today, and the real call to action is that in the city of New Orleans we want to continue to make steady progress without any regression…and we can do that by taking action now,” Cantrell said at her press conference on Thursday.
The city’s Phase 3.3 would come closer to aligning with the state’s Phase 3 restrictions. The mayor’s phase 3.3 would allow restaurants and venues to increase their capacity. On Tuesday, Cantrell announced she is opening up the Mercedes-Benz Superdome to only 3,000 fans for the Saints upcoming home game.
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Other city leaders helped encourage residents to follow the current Phase 3.2 COVID-19 restrictions so the city can move into phase 3.3.
“We will gradually see people come back to the city of New Orleans, that is our job… to get that spending back here, so that the mayor and the resources the city needs… as well as the state, return in a way that we can have our city services, and our state services renewed,” said Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for New Orleans and Company, Mark Romig. “But until then, it is going to be up to us to make sure we have the freedom to do what we need to do to keep this economy going.”
At her press conference, Cantrell reminded the public that large gatherings are not allowed under the city’s current Phase 3.2 and will still be in place when the city moves to Phase 3.3.
“Last weekend on Bourbon as we moved into 3.2… as we moved into opening up our city just a little bit more…when we allowed our bars to open up outdoor only… when we expanded capacity in our restaurants…in our businesses… we did that… but as a result what we saw throughout our city and particularly on the world stage on Bourbon Street…was unacceptable,” said Cantrell.
Mayor Cantrell also announced the city would be stepping up their efforts to enforce wearing a mask by using existing laws to issue, people not wearing a mask, a $500 fine.
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Starting this weekend, city workers will hang banners on Bourbon Street encouraging people to wear masks and social distance. Public Works workers will also lay down markings on sidewalks to direct pedestrian traffic in a one-way direction.