COVID-19 Outbreak Information Updates (Reboot) [over 150.000,000 US cases (est.), 6,422,520 US hospitilizations, 1,148,691 US deaths.]

efil4stnias said

Mardi Gras starts in earnest in Mid Feb - Fat Tuesday is March 1.

I think this is a preemptive move to try and blow the curve sooner.

However, here is what i have heard from Tulane....they are already seeing a downward trend in positivity. SLIGHT but downward. I think i had posted here back in December that their modeling showed peak 3rd week of January for current wave. If that holds, then by mid Feb we should be seeing mad reduction in positivity.

So i think this mask mandate is to curb that peak just a tad sooner to be CLEAR for Mardi Gras 2022.

Just my opinon.

Click to expand...

The source I use for this stuff is Jeff Asher - for whatever its worth his data shows that cases in Orleans have already peaked. I think we are about to see a South Africa-like downslope.

Anyway, our city is one of the most vaxxed and boosted places in the South and we can see pretty clearly from [pick an example - DC, NYC, etc.] that mask and even vaccine mandates do jack squat for omicron. Even CDC is signaling that cloth masks are basically useless at this point. An Orleans mask mandate is really only going to cause disruptions to 2 years worth of pent-up Mardi Gras plans without any benefit to public health. Or maybe send some of those events to Jefferson Parish as happened this summer.

Its counterproductive theater. But I am hopeful that maybe this is when the residents of the City will finally say "nah we're good.' Its not lost on some of us the mayor waited until the day after her 2nd inaugural to trot this out....