It's not just mega-crowd super-spreaders that can drive pandemic numbers up -- New Orleans officials are warning people about the dangers small gatherings can pose, too.
As the city makes its way to "Phase 3.3" next week, city leaders are urging people to remember the rules.
"Wearing that mask, keeping your distance, and avoid large gatherings," reminded Dr. Jennifer Avegno, the director of the city's health department.
Dr. Avegno says while large gatherings are certainly risky, lately they're seeing more smaller-scale instances of community spread.
"It's just as much worrying about those large crowds on Bourbon St. that we want to continue to get a handle on, but it's also those small things in our daily live that we have to treat the same way," she explained. "And where we're finding a lot of it is happening is in small, casual get togethers."
Dr. Avegno said it is happening at things like playdates and neighborhood barbecues.
"You think, 'well it's small, and it's my neighbor, so I can take my mask off, and maybe I can sit a little but closer.' It's that lunch you go to with your girlfriends, and you say 'well I know they're all okay.' That's where we're seeing spread," she said.
She said that's why mask-wearing and keeping our distance is still important, if we want to move into the next phase of recovery.
