March 31, 2020

New Orleans second line organizer arrested Monday; NOPD says he refused to disband large gathering

Source: New Orleans Times-Picayune Advocate

A second line organizer accused of flouting the city's coronavirus control measures over the weekend by refusing to disband a large funeral repast has been arrested by the New Orleans Police Department.

New Orleans police say almost 100 people gathered in the 3000 block of Audubon Street Saturday afternoon as a brass band played as part of the repast.

Several viral videos shared on social media show the group laughing and dancing together. One person could be seen wearing a face mask.

State and local officials have banned gatherings of more than 10 people and issued a stay-at-home mandate that has been extended through April 30 in an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19.

Read more: https://www.nola.com/news/crime_police/article_8a1f8746-72d4-11ea-9200-bb05829353d1.html

---

Please, don’t bash New Orleans for not calling off Mardi Gras when visitors arrived for the first parade on February 8th.

If you were practicing social distancing, wearing gloves and a face mask, or frequently washing your hands on February 8th you were way ahead of the curve. Don’t expect the Democratic mayor of a large city to unilaterally call off Mardi Gras. It ended with a hard stop on February 25th, but started nearly three weeks earlier.

And since gatherings have been banned by the Democratic Governor and mayor, there have been enforcement efforts to protect the public health.