Crowds are usually welcome and even encouraged in tourist-dependent New Orleans in the days leading up to Mardi Gras, but when the last weekend of the 2021 season kicked off Friday, police warned that crowds will not be tolerated amid attempts to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
Police Chief Shaun Ferguson held a press conference with state police and the New Orleans sheriff to drive the point home, saying that an order to close the bar that took effect Friday would be enforced until Fat Tuesday, the end of the annual pre-Lenten festivities.
All parades in the city have been canceled.
Last year’s Mardi Gras celebration is believed to have contributed to an early spate of infections in Louisiana.
The city said Bourbon Street would be closed to cars and pedestrians every day from 7:00 PM to 3:00 AM, and that access is limited to residents, corporate employees, hotel guests and restaurant visitors. On Mardi Gras itself, closing starts at 7 a.m., Ferguson said.
The restaurant’s capacity will be limited, just like during the pandemic. And bars, including bars that have a temporary food permit allowing them to operate as restaurants, will be closed until Ash Wednesday – not just in the French Quarter but throughout the city.
Other popular nightlife areas, including Decatur Street in the French Quarter and Frenchmen Street in the nearby Marigny neighborhood, would be closed during normal peak hours. And a popular corridor outside the French Quarter that is a meeting place for the locals was screened off with fencing.
Ferguson said police will be on the lookout for violators of the bar’s closure all over town.
“If you think you’re going to be that bad actor and get away with it, I would ask you to think differently,” Ferguson said.
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