Carnival in time of COVID: Virus tests among parade favors

“If we want to participate in the activities we love at Carnival, we can’t let our guard down,” Dr. Jennifer Avegno, the city’s health director, said in a news release. “COVID is not over yet, and we need to use every tool at our disposal to prevent a repeat of the tragedies of Mardi Gras 2020.”

Carnival revelry is already being tempered by several restrictions: Entry into bars, restaurants and numerous other indoor venues requires both a mask and proof of vaccination or a recent negative test. Float riders in city parades are required to be vaccinated.

Visitors are returning for this year’s celebration, if not in numbers from years past. Tourism officials say about 89% of the 26,000 hotel rooms in downtown New Orleans and the French Quarter will be filled Saturday, down from nearly 98% for the same Saturday in 2020.

How strictly will the mandates be enforced? While businesses that run afoul of the requirements run the risk of sanctions, “There are no mask police,” city spokesman Beau Tidwell said at a news conference this week, emphasizing the need for cooperation by residents and visitors.

Tidwell found himself having to defend Mayor LaToya Cantrell amid social media criticism over pictures of her and other city leaders, sometimes without masks, at a Carnival ball. Tidwell said Cantrell removed her mask for pictures and to eat and drink, but acknowledged “we need to do a better job of modeling the expected behavior.”