Cantrell says data will drive NOLa.’s reopening
11th May 2020 · 0 Comments
By C.C. Campbell-Rock
Contributing Writer
The City of New Orleans and Louisiana’s Stay-at-Home order expires on May 15. Both Mayor Cantrell and Governor John Bel Edwards have met with opposition from businesspeople and some legislators who want the city and state opened immediately and they want to thwart plans for future stay at home orders, in the event that there is a dramatic rise in the number of coronavirus cases and a spike in the number of people dying from viral infections.
Opposition aside, Mayor Cantrell is adamant about re-opening safely. To that end, last month she implemented a wide-scale testing program for residents who want the test, without restrictions.
“We know everyone is eager to reopen. It’s not going back to normal; it’s what we’re calling ‘the new normal.’
It will be the data and not the date that drives not only the decision but the phased approach to reopen the City of New Orleans,” said Mayor Cantrell.
The pandemic has made it noticeably clear that cities, states and even countries that rely primarily on tourism have a major challenge that will have to be met post-coronavirus. “We know that tourism will not be our top industry,” Cantrell says of the days following the city’s reopening. She said she will focus on wooing new businesses and industries to the city, in the areas of technology, renewable energy, water resources, advanced manufacturing and other economic generators. “We are making a pivotal shift to diversify our economy.”
During a COVID-19 update conference call, the city’s Director of Health, Dr. Jennifer Avegno, said the curve was flattening. “We’ve been doing testing almost every day. Anybody can get a test.” The doctor admits that “for every case we know about, there are five times the infection.” Avegno also cautioned that a negative test doesn’t mean a person won’t later contract the coronavirus.
As of May 7, Louisiana’s Department of Health reported 30,652 cases and 2,135 deaths from the coronavirus. Of that total New Orleans had 6,538 cases and 441 deaths.
Experts are warning that the number of coronavirus infections and deaths will spike when cities reopen. “The daily death toll will reach about 3,000 on June 1, according to an internal document obtained by The New York Times, a 70 percent increase from the current number of about 1,750. The projections, based on government modeling pulled together by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, forecast about 200,000 new cases each day by the end of the month (May), up from about 25,000 cases a day currently.”
Nonetheless, some cities and states have already re-opened, while others, like New Orleans, are planning for a soft opening.
“We’re in a much better spot. We’re not back to normal yet but we’re finding ways to re-open the city safely,” says Cantrell, who launched measures to combat the virus, as far back as February 5, and before the first coronavirus fatality in the city.
“We were the first federal drive through testing program in the country,” Avegno explains. “We’ve been recognized by the Washington Post for our homelessness building capacity, our homeless housing placements,” Cantrell adds. The homeless sheltering program consists of securing hotel-based housing for the homeless and providing them connections to resources, including rehabilitation and mental health programs. The city also put a moratorium on evictions, provided limited access to City Hall, and enforced its Stay-at-Home order.
Regarding the opponents of the shelter in place mandate, Cantrell says, “I don’t feel like I’m under pressure. The data is going to drive the date to re-open. We’ve got a phased in approach and forthcoming guidelines. May 15 is the end of the Stay-at-Home proclamation, which may be extended,” the Mayor adds.
The Mayor reopening plan is the result of the work of a pandemic task force and the Reopening New Orleans Advisory Panel, which includes representatives of various industries. The city will re-open in three phases, from low-risk businesses during Phase 1 to medium-risk businesses in Phase 2, to congregate-style businesses, restaurants, bars, etc., in Phase 3.
The task force and the advisory panel has also devised plans to improve public health, contact tracing, workforce development, employee and employer counseling, education and training for unemployed workers, education, housing insecurity, food security, community services, youth services, childcare, transportation, and job growth.
“We will be focusing on opening our lowest-risk businesses while still staying at home as much as possible, maintaining proper social distancing measures, and working to protect the most vulnerable New Orleanians,” said Dr. Avegno.
Despite opposition, Mayor Cantrell’s reopening plan hinges on meeting specific public health milestones that must be met before the City will begin to ease restrictions and progress from one phase to another. “If these criteria are not met or if there is a spike in cases or deaths, it may be necessary to move back to stricter measures,” according to the nolaready.gov website. The milestones are:
• Decline in cases – Sustained trend of low and declining new cases;
• Increased testing capabilities – Supplies, staffing, and lab capacity to consistently test four percent to five percent of the population each month;
• Robust isolation procedures – Robust contact tracing, monitoring and isolation capacity to rapidly isolate new cases and their close contacts
• Healthcare capacity – Healthcare system with adequate capacity to treat both COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients without requiring surge capacity, including staffing, facilities, PPE and equipment.
“The more residents follow safe guidelines, the faster the city can return to a sense of normalcy. Safe reopening procedures and decisions will be informed by state and federal guidance, an internal City task force, external advisory groups, and robust data analysis,” Cantrell advises. Face coverings will still be required, and social distancing guidelines must be observed.
A buzz saw of opposition hit last week when Mayor Cantrell proposed that businesses should track customers and staff that come into the venues. Doing so will assist the city in the sorely needed but massive task of contact tracing. Health experts maintain that the way to contain COVID-19 is to track and contact people who have been exposed to the virus, either through a friend, co-worker, or family member, and the people infected people have been around, so those people can be tested, and if they are found to be positive, they can be isolated and treated.
“The details are still being worked out regarding how contact tracing will be managed once we begin loosening Stay Home restrictions, but businesses will be expected to play a role and to have a plan in place to help track employees and clients in their space,” according to a city spokesperson.
“Contact tracing just doesn’t involve government alone,” Cantrell told reporters “As part of the new normal,” the Mayor wants businesses to track the names and contact information of patrons. she said. Opponents have started a petition to stop Cantrell’s contract tracing plan.
Some businesses are concerned about their customers’ privacy. However, some businesses are already engaged in requiring IDs, including airports, banks, convenience stores (for tobacco products) and other companies.
“Michael Hecht, president and CEO of Greater New Orleans, Inc. (GNO Inc.), said business owners he’s spoken to want to do whatever it takes to protect their employees and customers, but have concerns,” according to a WWL-TV news report. “One is privacy of customer data and whether customers even want to give this data,” Hecht said.
In the same report, Rusty White, owner of The Wrong Iron and Velvet Cactus said, “We’ll do whatever it takes to get back open… “What we had already been using at The Wrong Iron, because we I.D. everyone who comes in, is a scanner.”
Whatever reopening plans are implemented; the coronavirus is not going away soon.
“The daily death toll will reach about 3,000 on June 1, according to an internal document obtained by The New York Times, a 70 percent increase from the current number of about 1,750. The projections, based on government modeling pulled together by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), forecast about 200,000 new cases each day by the end of the month, up from about 25,000 cases a day currently.”
Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards says he will announce on Monday, May 11, whether the state will be able to begin reopening businesses.
This article originally published in the May 11, 2020 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.
