From NOLA.com…
New Orleans residents and visitors must show proof of a COVID-19 vaccination or a recent negative test to go inside restaurants, bars and other indoor venues, including the Caesars Superdome, Mayor LaToya Cantrell announced Thursday.
The citywide vaccine mandate, one of the first in the United States, will take effect Monday and enforcement will begin Aug. 23. It comes amid a Louisiana surge in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations driven by the highly transmissible delta variant and the state’s low vaccination rate.
“We’re here today because we really have no choice. The situation is dire and we are simply out of time,” Cantrell said at a news conference.
The requirement covers anyone currently eligible for the vaccines. In addition to eating and drinking establishments and the Saints’ upcoming preseason games at the Superdome, the rule will be enforced at fitness centers, casinos, strip clubs and race tracks, as well as events at the Smoothie King Center.
It also covers outdoor gatherings of more than 500 people if the total attendance is greater than 50% of the venue’s capacity. Masks will continue to be required indoors.
