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Mayor LaToya Cantrell today reiterates that compliance with Mayoral emergency orders is mandatory. We must prevent the further spread of COVID-19 in Orleans Parish, and it is vital that residents and visitors be vigilant in avoiding gatherings and practicing social distancing. All residents and visitors should take personal responsibility to prevent the further spread of COVID-19 and remain in their homes whenever possible and avoid any gatherings.

“It is critical that you pay attention at this time. The threat is real, and the threat is growing. Every business and resident in our community has an obligation to treat this as a matter of life or death, and to abide by the directives we have issued,” said Mayor Cantrell. “Public and private gatherings, of any size, are prohibited. Bars are closed and will remain closed. Businesses at every level, including City Hall, are scaling back to minimum basic operations. We need our people to stay safe and to stay at home.”

The guidelines created by the Mayor’s March 16, 2020, Proclamation include:

• Closure of all bars, nightclubs and casinos;
• Restaurants are limited to offering take-out and delivery only, with no table or bar seating;
• Public gatherings of any size are prohibited; and
• Businesses are required to scale down operations to provide minimum basic operations.

The New Orleans Police Department and the City’s Safety & Permits team will be aggressively enforcing these guidelines to the maximum extent possible. Residents wishing to report large gatherings or business operations in violation of these rules should call 311. We will take every violation extremely seriously.

City government will scale down operations to provide limited core basic services to ensure continuity of government and basic operations. We encourage all other businesses to do the same and take all necessary steps to allow employees to work remotely where possible.

Departmental operations at City Hall have been adapted in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, with all essential public-facing functions being transitioned to online access. Members of the public are advised that there should be no need to access City Hall in person.