We've missed so much due to the Coronavirus... now we're wondering how it will affect Mardi Gras.
Friday, Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson sent a letter to Mardi Gras organizations, asking them to be "creative" with their parade plans for 2021, to think of "outdoor alternatives" to the traditional parades and the dense crowds that they bring to downtown. And he said that ASM, the company that runs the Mobile Convention Center and Civic Center, would be sending out letters next week, letting organizations that used those facilities last Mardi Gras know how many people would be able to attend this year, under current state health guidelines.
What those guidelines will look like in January are anybody's guess.
Mayor Stimpson says it's "becoming more apparent every day that Mardi Gras 2021 will be unlike any Mardi Gras except possibly those during World War II"
There have already been some Mardi Gras ball cancellations, most notably Osiris... but no parades as yet.
In New Orleans, the Mayor has an advisory council talking about the issue of Mardi Gras, but there have not been any decisions yet. NOLA.com quoted one society member as saying "Mask up today, so we can mask up tomorrow."
The idea is that how people respond to COVID-19 precautions today could help determine whether Mardi Gras happens or not (much like the way Alabama Governor Kay Ivey told residents back in July that a college football season could hinge on whether they masked up or not.)
(Photo: Getty Images)