This year’s Mardi Gras celebration in New Orleans was one of the last mass gatherings before COVID-19 was officially declared a pandemic and everything was shut down. Next year’s, however, will look vastly different.
The city has officially banned Mardi Gras parades for 2021, citing coronavirus concerns, according to The Washington Post.
Mayor LaToya Cantrell confirmed the news in a press conference on Tuesday, saying other Mardi Gras celebrations will be allowed, but parades of any kind will not be permitted “because large gatherings have proven to be super spreader events.”
The mayor’s office is also putting out an open call for suggestions as to how the city can safely celebrate the holiday. Suggestions must meet social distancing and sanitation guidelines and “prevent unstructured crowds of strangers.”
“Experts are predicting a ‘winter spike’ in cases this winter in December and January — right when our carnival calendars get rolling,” Cantrell’s office said in a statement. “We have done an amazing job flattening the curve — and hopefully it will stay that way through the winter — but we are surrounded by hot spots and we don’t know what the future holds in store for us.”
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