NEW ORLEANS — Folks hoping for an end to New Orleans' mask mandate are going to have to wait until after Mardi Gras, according to Dr. Jennifer Avegno, the director of the city's Health Department.
A statement from Dr. Avegno said "now is not the time."
Avegno said case numbers may have been trending downward in New Orleans, but they are still extremely high, and so are percent positivity and hospitalizations.
"Given these conditions, and the upcoming large events that will bring hundreds of thousands of visitors to the City for several weeks, multiple layers of mitigation are strongly recommended by public health experts," Avegno said. "The city’s mask mandate will remain in place through Mardi Gras, and we will be watching the data very closely immediately after the big events for signs of improvement, and hope that because we are taking these protective steps now, we can recommend lifting it soon thereafter."
According to Avegno's statement, the Metro New Orleans area falls under the CDC's highest risk category, which points to "widespread uncontrolled transmission."
Here is the full statement from Dr. Jennifer Avegno:
"We understand the desire to remove the mask requirement, but now is not the time. You must look at the big picture. Right now, our COVID case numbers have lessened somewhat but they continue to be at extremely high levels, as do percent positivity and hospitalizations. The CDC places Orleans and surrounding parishes in its highest risk category, indicating widespread, uncontrolled transmission. Nationally, both hospitalizations and deaths remain very high, exceeding the previous winter and Delta peaks in many areas.
Given these conditions, and the upcoming large events that will bring hundreds of thousands of visitors to the City for several weeks, multiple layers of mitigation are strongly recommended by public health experts. The city’s mask mandate will remain in place through Mardi Gras, and we will be watching the data very closely immediately after the big events for signs of improvement, and hope that because we are taking these protective steps now, we can recommend lifting it soon thereafter."