NEW ORLEANS —
NEW ORLEANS -- The streetcar rumbling along the neutral ground is one of the signature sights of St. Charles Avenue.
So, too, are beads left dangling like moss from an oak tree after the parades have passed.
But with COVID-19 still affecting every aspect of day-to-day life and the calendar creeping closer to Carnival season, questions about what can -- or cannot -- happen are also hanging out there.
“What is it going to look like going forward? When do we need to make final decisions?” asked Bobby Hjortsberg; captain, Krewe of Freret. “And what's Mardi Gras going to look like with the information we have right now?”
Hjortsberg said the Cantrell administration has asked for dates by which krewes would need to know if they can roll next year.
“We kind of just said, 'Look, we want to just kind of take a back seat and let the larger krewes that have more experience and have been doing this for 20, 30, 100 years kind of take the lead,” he said.
Clark Brennan, captain of the Krewe of Bacchus, issued a statement saying he hopes the show can go on.“Bacchus definitely plans to roll down St. Charles Avenue pending approval from the city of New Orleans," he wrote.
A City Hall spokesperson said discussions about the season continue, writing in part, "We are working closely with our krewe captains ... to determine what Carnival will look like at a time when our resources are stretched so thin and many of our traditions present dangers to public health."