The City of New Orleans could announce a plan to ease COVID-19 restrictions on businesses as early as the end of next week, according to Director of Communications Beau Tidwell.
Louisiana moved to Phase 3 of its economic reopening on Sept. 11, but officials in New Orleans chose to remain in Phase 2.
Mayor LaToya Cantrell has said for weeks that the city would not ease additional restrictions until at least two weeks after students started returning to in-person instruction, so officials could get a better read on the impact of their return. Some students began in-person instruction last week.
“We’re gonna have [data from] last week and this week,” Tidwell said at a press conference Tuesday morning. “The hope is that by the end of next week, we’ll be able to speak to you about what the next iteration looks like.”
Tidwell said the city is “at a good place right now.”
It’s unclear whether the “next iteration” could be a move to Phase 3 or an easing of a few of the Phase 2 restrictions. Tidwell said “those specifics have not yet been determined” but that city officials “would like to move toward greater easement.”
“We’re optimistic that we’ll be able to do so,” he said, “but again, we have to see that data before we can make that determination.”
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