Noting the recent resurgence of coronavirus cases, city health officials over the weekend chided party-goers and emphasized the importance of avoiding “super-spreader events.” This morning, Ramon Vargas reported that a couple of New Orleans bars are now under scrutiny after hosting graduation parties in May and early June. City officials, meanwhile, followed up with another press conference to give 'em the business again, Jeff Adelson writes. Emily Woodruff writes that if a second surge of COVID-19 cases does materialize, medical professionals on the front line will be better prepared for it. That first 'tsunami,' they told her, taught them a lot. Of course, history tells us we’re hardly strangers to pandemics. Contributing writer Kim Chatelain took a look at the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918 and how it had a hand in shaping the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain, known at the time as the 'Ozone Belt.' And noted historical geographer and author Richard Campanella takes us back 150 years to when New Orleans was plagued with bouts of yellow fever. History repeats. In other news, Mark Schleifstein offers up a timeline on when we can expect that much-ballyhooed Saharan dust; Michelle Hunter has been following the stabbing death of a Meraux teen; Doug MacCash reports the latest in the Mystic Krewe of Nyx saga; and columnist Stephanie Grace caught up with former Mayor Mitch Landrieu to talk about the monument battles that are heating back up. And be sure to check out the latest digital edition of Gambit. It's all about summertime. All that – and more – is in today’s Lunch Line. As always, thanks for reading. And don't forget to wash your hands and keep your distance. |