NEW ORLEANS - Ahead of Mardi Gras this year, New Orleans Mayor Latoya Cantrell announced on Friday that all bars, both indoor and outdoor, will be closed citywide to help combat the spread of COVID-19.
Major streets that typically see the highest quantity of festivities surrounding the French Quarter will be filled with checkpoints, according to city officials.
Anyone entering popular streets like Bourbon Street, Frenchman Street and Decatur Street who isn’t a resident or business owner will be prohibited from entering, according to a news release from the city.
Stepped-up crowd control begins this weekend, Cantrell said. The bar shutdown begins next Friday and runs through Mardi Gras — also known as Fat Tuesday — on Feb.