NEW ORLEANS — The owners of Rubensteins clothing store at the corner of Canal and St. Charles say business is down 50 percent because of the pandemic.
David Rubenstein says compounding COVID’s impact is the decision by New Orleans Mayor Latoya Cantrell to keep the city in phase 2, while the rest of the state has moved on to phase 3 of reopening the economy.
“We need to follow the governor’s lead. We need to join the people, that’s what the reality is. It’s no longer us by ourselves fighting this virus,” Rubenstein said.
In a letter posted in the Advocate, Rubenstein says Cantrell’s reluctance to open more of the economy is basically holding the city hostage. He claims the city is no longer in an emergency situation and more restrictions must be eased before the city “dies an economic death.”
“We have to open this up. We have so many people that are on the edge of going out of business, of leaving New Orleans,” Rubenstein said.
Greg Hebert is a bartender in the French Quarter. He says the hospitality industry is crippled and needs support from all levels of government.
“It’s really rough. I know a lot of people who have changed industries, either gone back to school or moved away,” Hebert said.
While Rubenstein is concerned about the future of his business and the city, he says so much more is at stake with this local economy.
“If New Orleans fails, it’s not only New Orleans that fails. It’s the whole state. Our people come here then they go to the bayous, the plantations, they go all over,” Rubenstein said.
Mayor Cantrell is placing priority on getting children back into classrooms and assessing how that could affect the spread of COVID.
A spokesperson for the mayor issued a statement today saying in part “The city leadership team needs two weeks of data after in-person learning resumes to assess the impact on a full range of COVID metrics, including case numbers, fatalities, and hospitalizations. That impact will be assessed by the end of next week and if positive trends hold, we will move forward with additional easements to restrictions."
Mayor Cantrell has said education will ultimately help the economy. People like Rubenstein believe the city’s economy may not survive long enough to find out.
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