While bars remain closed, restaurants in New Orleans can now serve to-go alcoholic drinks, easing the Covid-19 restrictions.
The announcement came Friday from New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell, who ordered that the drinks could be served through take-out, curbside and drive-thru until 11 p.m.
Though the rest of Louisiana has eased into Phase 3 reopening, Cantrell has kept Orleans Parish in Phase 2, though with some looser restrictions. Bars can reopen under Phase 3, but they remain closed under Phase 2.
New Orleans restaurants are already allowed to serve alcohol to people dining at the restaurants.
The move follows previous loosened restrictions by the mayor, including the reopening of playgrounds and the resumption of high school athletics in October.
“The City will continue to monitor the number of cases as the schools move to in-person instruction in order to prepare for the next steps in the safe, phased reopening of New Orleans,” the statement from the mayor’s office read.
The Orleans Parish has seen more than 12,000 cases of Covid-19 alone, with 587 total confirmed deaths. As of Wednesday, there are a presumed 1,224 cases of the virus, according to data from the Louisiana Department of Health.
