with Drew BroachUnaware the coronavirus was already in town, tens of thousands of people celebrated Mardi Gras in New Orleans in 2020. Within a month, the city recorded the highest coronavirus per capita death rate in the United States. To avoid a repeat this year, Mayor LaToya Cantrell announced Friday that bars must close, go cups are banned and popular gathering spots such as Bourbon Street, Frenchman Street and the North Claiborne Avenue median below Interstate 10 will have restricted access - or none at all. You can read what she said and check out more details about where not to go. Yet if we're not allowed to celebrate en masse, we're not giving up another Carnival practice: king cake, which remains as popular as ever, if not moreso. Without parades in 2021, a major Carnival attraction is Floats in the Oaks. Art critic cum reporter Doug MacCash visited City Park and likened it to a glittering ghost town past which ticketholders drive in their cars. His story might be as close as you get, for Floats in the Oaks is already sold out. Some of those stationary floats are made by Kern Studios, where at this time of year CEO Barry Kern typically is ensuring that production is complete and parades are running on time. This week, alas, Kern himself tested positive for COVID-19. Speaking of which, one of the more contagious variants of the virus has been detected in the Tulane University community. Meanwhile, 85% of Louisiana prisoners older than 70 have accepted coronavirus vaccinations - a much larger percentage than heath care and nursing home workers. Presumably unrelated to Carnival or coronavirus, the families of more than 100 preschoolers were caught flatfooted Friday when St. Matthew’s Early Learning Center in Metairie abruptly and inexplicably closed. Those stories and more are in today's Front Page and on NOLA.com. Thanks for starting your day with us. D.B. |