New Orleans cops clear out Bourbon Street amid gathering ban
The streets of The Big Easy are getting cleared out.
Video shows police in New Orleans sending rowdy revelers scurrying as they hang around the city’s iconic Bourbon Street bars and restaurants over the weekend, while municipal officials desperately try to curtail the spread of coronavirus.
“By order of the governor and the mayor, large groups of people are prohibited from congregating together,” an officer told the crowds by loudspeaker early Sunday. “Your actions are jeopardizing public health, and we are directing you to clear the streets and to go home or back to your hotel. Thank you for your cooperation.”
The footage, shot from a balcony, was posted to Twitter just hours before New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell announced restrictions on bars and restaurants — including dining room shutdowns at 9 p.m. and “last call” at bars by midnight.
“There are midnight closures for bars tonight,” Cantrell wrote on Twitter. “Bars are expected to close establishments for the night, through the next day’s normal business hours. This will be strictly [enforced by police]. Residents should prepare to go home at that time. Loitering is prohibited.”
Tour groups in the popular hot-spot destination will also be limited to seven people, according to the mayor’s announcement.
It’s unclear if any arrests were made as cops enforced the ban on large gatherings in New Orleans, where Cantrell said the practice would “save lives.” A message seeking comment from police was not immediately returned Monday.
Cops also broke up crowds on nearby Frenchmen and Magazine streets, where partiers lined up for St. Patrick’s Day festivities even though annual parades have been canceled, NOLA.com reports.
Two people have died from coronavirus in Louisiana, where more than 103 have been diagnosed, the website said.
“We do not want to see the death toll escalate,” Cantrell said. “The positive cases we are seeing in the city of New Orleans are increasing, and we anticipate them to be increasing every single day and within hours.”
Meanwhile, cops in New Orleans are looking for a driver who was behind the wheel of a car that intentionally struck a woman in the French Quarter early Monday, killing her. The incident, which is being investigated as a homicide, took place just minutes after Cantrell’s new rules took effect, NOLA.com reports.
The unidentified victim was trying to break up a fight when another woman “intentionally backed up her vehicle,” striking her and another car. She was pronounced dead at the scene, near Bourbon and Royals streets, the outlet said.