NEW ORLEANS — A weekend of holiday celebration and a classic football rivalry in New Orleans has a spirit of normalcy, turning back to one of concern.
“We do not want to regress. We had a taste of a little something special over this holiday weekend,” said Mayor LaToya Cantrell during a news conference Monday afternoon.
Mayor Cantrell hopes that taste doesn’t turn bitter because of the new COVID-19 Omicron variant.
“Run, don’t walk,” said Mayor Cantrell. “Get the vaccination.”
Flanked by the city’s directors of health and homeland security, Mayor Cantrell says vaccinations just got even more important.
“This is our time to double down, for everyone to be vaccinated in our city,” said Mayor Cantrell. “That is the only way, the only way, out of this.”
Currently almost 80 percent of the city adult population is fully vaccinated, and just more than 60 percent of the total population. With uncertainties surrounding the omicron variant, like severity, and contagiousness, there is a bit of worry.
“Having something that’s like Delta again would just be devastating for all of us,” said the city’s health director Dr. Jennifer Avegno.
Right now, there are no known cases in Louisiana, but Dr. Avegno says it’s only a matter of time.
“Our hospital staff cannot take another surge. There are not enough of them left,” said Dr. Avegno. “They can’t do it, both physically and emotionally. We are at a very good place right now for hospitalizations. We have got to keep it that way.”
With a goal of keeping the city open, there are no new mandates or restrictions right now. Enforcement of the current vaccine mandate will be amped up.
“We know that it’s working and we’re going to continue to have those mandates in place because of that,” said Mayor Cantrell. “Especially now, with this new variant, now is not the time to take our seatbelts off.”
With events like New Year’s Eve, Mardi Gras and festivals coming up, city leaders hope those seatbelts keep progress driving forward.
“We have come so far as a community and so many people have sacrificed and given so much over the last two years and I know that there’s fatigue out there but this is the time that we’ve got to push forward with this,” said the city homeland security director Collin Arnold.