Louisiana would have probably canceled Mardi Gras in February if the state had received the proper warnings from the federal government about the coronavirus crisis, state Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser told CNN.
“Had we had knowledge of what was to come, we would have taken a different look at it,” said Nungesser, a Republican. "It’s hard to look back now and say we should have canceled Mardi Gras. But with 840 people, deaths, in the last 30 days here in Louisiana, surely some of those people probably wouldn’t have been infected had we took action sooner.”
The New York Times reported over that weekend that by the middle of February a number of President Donald Trump’s top health experts were warning that the coronavirus would escalate from a few cases if areas were not closed down.
“We didn’t have that information,” Nungesser told CNN. “Surely, I know our governor didn’t. And had we known what was to come, we probably would have taken other action.”
However, he did admit the decision wouldn't have been entirely clear, since Mardi Gras is so important economically for New Orleans, saying “tourism is a big industry in Louisiana. But we surely have to put the lives of the citizens first and the health of their safety.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a report over the weekend that Mardi Gras likely accelerated the spread of coronavirus, but federal officials didn't recommend canceling it or any other large gatherings until two weeks after Mardi Gras, which took place from February 16-25, according to HuffPost.
Since then, Louisiana has emerged as one of the nation’s hotspots for the virus, and with the most cases in the South.
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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