COVID: New Orleans could revive mask mandate; festivals in jeopardy

The spread of the delta variant and a spike in cases locally threatens major Fall activities including full attendance at Saints games and the rescheduled Jazz and Heritage Festival. It could also cause the city of New Orleans to reinstate masking requirements and possibly other mitigation measures. “All options are on the table,” said City of New Orleans spokesman Beau Tidwell. He said Mayor LaToya Cantrell and Dr. Jennifer Avegno would hold a press conference Wednesday to address the situation. “Masking is certainly something they’re looking at. It’s a strong possibility,” he said. Tidwell cited state hospitalizations and test positivity that have more than doubled recently. He said that New Orleans has a “good” vaccination level among adults with 69 percent of adults having at least one shot and 63 percent being fully vaccinated. “They’re very good numbers, but not where we need to be,” Tidwell said.