NEW ORLEANS — New Orleans City Councilman Jay H. Banks urged the public to "remain vigilant and intentional" in the collective against rising COVID-19 case numbers in the area.
Parades later in the year was a real possibility, the councilman said.
"What we do know is that we can't do Mardi Gras the way we did (last year), with this pandemic raging," Banks said. "That's the only certainty."
The prospects of not being able to celebrate and partake in Mardi Gras Parades to prevent COVID-19 from spreading further in the New Orleans community is unfortunate, Banks said. But "as unfortunate as it is, it is what it is, and we've got to deal with it."
"I understand the frustration of not having Mardi Gras parades, but there's no way we could conceivably do that safely," Banks said. "Once you show somebody a coconut, the adrenaline starts to flow. People will start rushing."
Mourning Mardi Gras parades is better than mourning a loved one, Banks said.
"I love Mardi Gras, but I hate funerals," Banks told WWLTV. "I don't want to see any more people die. My circle right now? It's up to 20 people who have been in my life that are no longer here as a direct result of COVID."
Banks made clear that the City of New Orleans has not made final decisions on how exactly Mardi Gras will go.
"We're going to do something; we don't know what that something is," Banks said, noting the city has requested suggestions from the public. "We're all open and amenable to hearing that."
Final guidelines on how New Orleanians will celebrate Carnival will end up being determined by COVID numbers, city officials have previously said. Banks said traditional Mardi Gras parades might be out of the question.
"How do you ensure social distancing on a float," Banks asked, "I have been on a float. There's a finite amount of space, and we ride those floats packed shoulder to shoulder, so there's just no physical way to do this."
The pandemic has hit New Orleans City Hall's pocket hard because of its mostly tourism & hospitality-based economy, Banks said.
"Everything is affected by the (budget) cuts," the councilman said. "Without people here being able to spend money, our revenue suffered. The reality for us is that our money comes from people coming here to enjoy themselves. People can't travel. There are restrictions moving around. That has affected us."
The councilman said the New Orleans officials will do what they have to, saying in part "We're already furloughing people, which I hate to have to do."
"This is not going to be easy, and unfortunately, the longer we take to adhere to the guidelines, the longer it's going to take us to get out of this," The New Orleans Councilman said.
While Mardi Gras has been the holiday at the forefront of conversations in New Orleans, Thanksgiving and Christmas seemed to concern Banks as well.
"Let me tell you; you can go and have a happy Thanksgiving and end up having a very not merry Christmas," Banks said during a virtual interview with WWLTV's Sheba Turk. "You can end up infecting somebody you love... by doing what you aren't supposed to do."
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