New Orleans closing bars and banning to-go drinks during Mardi Gras 2021.

In a citywide crackdown, New Orleans announced on Friday that it will be ordering the closure of all indoor and outdoor bars and banning to-go drinks starting next Friday through Mardi Gras day on February 16.

During a news conference, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell called the large crowds seen on Bourbon Street last weekend "unacceptable." In addition to indoor and outdoor bar closures, Cantrell said bars operating as restaurants would also be closed to the public. Packaged liquor sales will be prohibited in the French Quarter and the Central Business District, and all sales of to-go drinks will be banned during this time.

The city's website also cited last year's Mardi Gras celebrations, where community spread of coronavirus caused New Orleans hospitals to reach capacity.

The Mardi Gras restrictions also include limiting vehicle and pedestrian traffic at certain times on busy streets, including Bourbon Street, Frenchman Street, and Decatur Street. Parades, second lines, and other gatherings were already prohibited under the current Modified Phase Two restrictions in the city. Outdoor gatherings are limited to 25 people, and indoor gatherings may include no more than 10 individuals. Masks and social distancing are required.

The Mardi Gras closures have many businesses frustrated and in the brink of going bankrupt.

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