The city of New Orleans is offering some good news for all those who enjoy grabbing a drink at their local bar. Starting Friday (February 19), bars and breweries around the city can resume indoor service at 25% capacity. The service will be allowed to continue as long as the COVID-19 positivity rate in Orleans Parish stays under 5%, WDSU reports.
According to state guidelines, bars will only be allowed to operate between 8 a.m. and 11 p.m. Though New Orleans is easing restriction on indoor bar service, the city will remain in its modified Phase 2 guidelines until at least mid-March.
"Recent local and national cases of the UK, South African and Brazilian variant strains of SARS-COV-2 continue to cause concern for local public health officials," the city said in a statement. "Therefore, the current limit on gathering sizes for parties, special events, weddings, etc., will remain as is — indoor gatherings limited 10 people and outdoor gatherings limited to 25 with masking and social distancing required in both settings."
Not only has indoor bar service been banned from the city for months, bars were ordered closed ahead of Mardi Gras to prevent any potential superspreader COVID-19 events that could come from the usually-crowded weekend. The closing of Bourbon Street turned what is usually a raucous and fun event into a quiet, subdued scene — a stark reminder of what the city, and the country, is still facing.
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