By Drew Broach | Deputy metro editorGood news and odd news this Saturday: It's safer to travel now, it's a gorgeous Easter weekend and, well, yes, Louisiana is subject to the occasional earthquake. Pandemic wanes: No less an authority than the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now advises that fully vaccinated people may travel within the United States without getting tested for the coronavirus or going into quarantine afterward. That's a boost for New Orleans, a magnet for tourists and conventions but a place where the hospitality industry has been hammered for a year. “This is progress. This is a step toward normalcy,” said President Stephen Perry of New Orleans and Co., the city’s chief tourism and convention promoter. More than a half million people and counting in Louisiana have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus. Yet a few of them - 126, to be exact - have contracted COVID-19 anyway. That was to be expected, doctors say. The great outdoors: Whether you're planning a crawfish boil or an egg hunt, the weather this Easter weekend will be perfect for outdoor activities. See the weather forecast, and check out a list of music performances, parade alternatives and other events. Bayou temblor: You might have been surprised Thursday when an earthquake struck Shreveport. And with good reason: Louisiana has recorded only seven earthquakes since 1930, including a 1987 shaker in Irish Bayou. All this and much more in today’s Front Page and on NOLA.com. Thanks for starting your day with us. D.B. |