NEW ORLEANS — Mardi Gras is known for extravagant costumes with references to pop culture, and this year was no different. A popular theme this year: the deadly Coronavirus.
WWL-TV anchors Doug Mouton and Leslie Spoon caught up with the "Krewe Da Flu" in the French Quarter. The group donned HAZMAT suites and were handing out "flu shots" - syringes filled with jello shots.
Another group "going viral" in New Orleans' Marigny area included several walking Corona beers with face masks along with a lime. The group held signs saying, "You give me fever," and "CDC: Corona Drinking Club."
Officials at the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention say spread of the coronavirus in the U.S. is not a question of "if," but "when."
Dr. Nancy Messonnier, the CDC's director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases said the virus, called COVID-19, is "rapidly evolving and spreading" and that "successful containment at U.S. borders is becoming problematic."
New Orleans has a history of poking fun at current events during Carnival. Last year, New Orleans residents took aim at NFL officials with several blind referees spotted across the city after the NFC championship no-call.
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