By Aaron Miller-
New Orleans in the U.S will relax is lockdown rules from this Saturday, May 16th, permitting restaurants to open but with stringent rules.
Restaurants will be required to follow strict rules as they open dining rooms to take reservations. They must have a name and a phone number and keep them for at least 21 days in order to track down people in the event a case arises.
New Orleans restaurant dining rooms will reopen with 25 percent occupancy on Saturday, May 16
New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell announced on Tuesday afternoon. It allows restaurant dining rooms to reopen at 25 percent capacity starting on May 16, whilst also requiring them to log customer information for contact tracing purposes.
Restaurants will be required to use a reservation system and keep names and contact information for customers for 21 days for the potential purposes of contact tracing.
Casinos, tattoo parlors, massage parlors, spas, live entertainment venues, children’s museums and bars without food permits will remain closed, according to the new city guidelines.
Retail and grocery stores, initially expected to also collect information for contact tracing, are excluded from the requirement. Cantrell said that the policy, which would only apply to restaurants, was also following the state’s lead. (Gov. Edwards has previously said the state would not ask businesses to log customers.)
It will also be compulsory for everyone to wear a face covering in places of business. Defending the decision, Mayor Catrell said: “It is not equitable for public health for employees to have to wear face coverings but not the public,” Cantrell said.
Orleans Parish, which is consolidated with the city of New Orleans, had the highest per capita death rate of any county in the U.S- more than double the next highest county, but those figures had turned by mid April.“We were disproportionately affected severely early on. We peaked fast. We peaked high,” said Dr. Jennifer Avegno, head of the New Orleans Health Department said.
Gyms in New Orleans will open at 25% capacity, but no contact sports or fitness classes will be allowed. No locker rooms, showers, saunas, spas. Individual personal training allowed with social distancing, and face coverings will be required, except when on treadmill, the new regulations say.