The City of New Orleans, following CDC advice (at the time) of limiting gatherings over 500 people, canceled St Patrick's Day parades this past weekend.
But that didn't keep the crowds away. A big group of people gathered outside Tracey's Bar on Magazine Street; there were also huge crowds on Bourbon Street.
And the police were sent in to break things up.
Now Mayor LaToya Cantrell is clamping down and giving New Orleans something it's not used to ... a Last Call.
Per the Mayor, Last Call will be at 11:15 pm. Everyone must be out and headed home by midnight.
And she means headed home. No loitering allowed.
MAYOR CANTRELL ISSUES GUIDANCE TO BARS AND
RESTAURANTS IN RESPONSE TO COVID-19 OUTBREAK
NEW ORLEANS — Mayor LaToya Cantrell, working in collaboration with the City of New Orleans' partners in the hospitality industry, has issued the following guidelines for bars and restaurants throughout the city in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. These guidelines are expected to be implemented immediately, and will be enforced.
- All full-service restaurants with seating cease operations at 9 p.m. daily. Further they will work to limit their seating capacity for social distancing whether it is removing tables/chairs or using a checkerboard type seating pattern to provide more guest spacing. The goal is to reduce seating by up to 50 percent. Employers will continue to monitor employees and ask employees to regularly take their own temperature. As supplies allow, employers will also assist. This goes for beverage/bar servers. Employers will continue to post signs for enhanced cleaning processes and how to maintain good health.
- Once the dining room closes, a restaurant can still offer delivery until its usual closing time.
- The quick-service or fast-casual establishments can only offer "drive-thru" service but can be extended to 24 hours if they so choose.
- Bars and nightclubs will cease service at 12 a.m. daily. They will limit their capacity to up to 50 percent of posted patron limit. Last call will be at 11:15 pm. Everyone must be out and headed home by 12 am.
- Hotel operations will adhere to above operating times for their restaurants and bar operations as well as limiting capacity.
- Operators will post notice to patrons that when they depart to please consider returning home.
- Operators will not allow gathering for waiting for seating, or access purposes. They will implement use of text messaging to advise if the table is ready.
- Operators will encourage no public gatherings in any area.
- Once patrons exit the premises of restaurants or bars, they may not loiter in the street or congregate in groups outside. This will be enforced city-wide.
- Tour groups will be limited to groups of no more than seven (7) at a time.
(Photo Credit: Getty Images Pat Semansky/Stringer)