‘This risks lives’: Mayor Cantrell responds to video of large Bourbon Street crowd

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - Mayor Latoya Cantrell is responding following the circulation of a video on social media showing large crowds on Bourbon Street Saturday night.

A video posted to Twitter shows large crowds gathered on the street, many without masks.

“Any mass gathering like the one seen here is a potential super-spreader event. This is dangerous. This risks lives. And it risks the progress our City has made in bending the curve and stopping the spread. This is unacceptable,” says Cantrell.

Many people were out Saturday night for Krewe Du Vieux, which is considered an unofficial start of Carnival festivities. Although there was no parade, the krewe set up displays around the city.

While all parades have been cancelled for the 2021 Carnival season, officials worry that large crowds will continue to gather to celebrate potentially causing another spike in COVID cases.

“As Mardi Gras approaches, we call upon our residents, our business owners, and our guests, to be vigilant. Large gatherings spread COVID, and COVID kills people. We’ve lost nearly 700 of our sisters and brothers already. Don’t be part of making that worse.”

Cantrell says the city is looking into what happened Saturday night.

“The City will take a hard look at what happened on Bourbon this weekend, and pursue appropriate action wherever possible. This cannot be strictly a punitive response — this is not ‘us vs. them’. This matters to ALL of us. This pandemic threatens all of us. And all of us must have a stake in suppressing the spread.”

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