As revelers partied across the city, coronavirus cases and deaths grew in New Orleans
Coronavirus couldn’t stop the party in New Orleans over the weekend as the official number of state COVID-19 cases and deaths increased, officials said Sunday.
The Louisiana governor’s office confirmed Sunday morning that a second person in New Orleans has died from new coronavirus, according to a report from Nola.com.
The New Orleans news organization reported the second victim was a 53-year-old resident treated at Touro Infirmary Hospital and Medical Center.
The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Louisiana rose to 91 on Sunday, doubling since Friday, according to a report from WWL-TV.
The Louisiana health department reported about 247 people have been tested so far. The CDC has confirmed 91 cases, WWL reported.
Sixty-five of the cases are in Orleans Parish, Nola.com reported. Jefferson Parish nearby has the second-most cases in the state.
City leaders are urging New Orleanians to stay home and avoid large public gatherings, especially after a crowded Saturday night on Bourbon Street and other nightlife districts in the city.
Nola.com reported New Orleans police officers went to Tracey’s Original Irish Channel Bar about 6 p.m. Saturday and broke up a popular annual St. Patrick’s Day party.
In a statement Saturday night, Mayor LaToya Cantrell said people aren’t taking the coronavirus warnings seriously and should increase social distancing.
“At the same time we were learning the sad news regarding the first fatality in our state, certain individuals were flouting the public health protocols and actively increasing the danger to their neighborhoods and their loved ones,” she said.
Louisiana now has more confirmed new coronavirus cases than Taiwan and the state of Texas, according to media reports.
According to an NPR report, Taiwan “quickly launched and updated emergency measures as the outbreak grew” and spread in China. The country imposed swift travel bans and quarantines.
On Friday, the country with a population of about 23 million had 50 confirmed cases of coronavirus and one death, according to NPR.
In Dallas County, Texas, there have been 11 reported positive coronavirus tests, according to a report from Dallas Morning News. Two of those patients won’t be counted in the official Dallas County total, though, because they don’t live in the county. The city of Dallas has a population of about 1.3 million, according to Census data.
New Orleans has a population of about 391,000, the Census reported in 2018.
